Uri Party to Revise Election and Political Funding LawsBy Yong-Gwan Jung
Published July 18th 2004 in The Donga
The ruling party has decided to go ahead with its plan to revise election
laws and the political funding law, which will change the current small
constituency system to a medium and large constituency system, and raise the political donations limit, which is currently limited to 150 million
won a year.
Regarding the reform of the constituency system, Uri Party floor leader
Chun Jung-bae said, “We have to consider a new constituency system which is beyond regionalism,” during a news briefing yesterday at the party building, and added, “We will go on with plans to change into a medium and large constituency system and to introduce a system of proportional representation by district, since we are now a strong ruling party.”
“Political funding law stipulates that donors funding more than 1.2 million
won a year reveal real names, and political funding of more than one
million won be received by check or online,” he said, adding, “As
transparency is guaranteed, political funding limits need to be
actualized.”
He then said, “It is rightful that a district party chapter wasting a lot
of money was abolished, but it is necessary to make up for the abolishment on a realistic basis, including guaranteeing the activities of voluntary party member organizations to collect opinions of local constituencies and decide policies.”
President Roh Moo-hyun said earlier that “current election laws have to be revised, developing their strong points and reducing their weak points,” during a dinner with key officials of three ministries and the head of the National Election Commission and their wives, which was held at an official residence of Speaker Kim One-gi in Hannam-dong. Roh put emphasis on the establishment of regulations related to primary funds.
The Grand National Party’s Vice-Floor leader Nam Gyung-pil criticized this, saying, “This is a conservative and expedient idea that has the intention of revising election laws in accordance with their tastes.”
Election Day '09 was a roller-coaster for election reformers. Instant runoff voting had a great night in Minnesota, where St. Paul voters chose to implement IRV for its city elections, and Minneapolis voters used IRV for the first time—with local media touting it as a big success. As the Star-Tribune noted in endorsing IRV for St. Paul, Tuesday’s elections give the Twin Cities a chance to show the whole state of Minnesota the benefits of adopting IRV. There were disappointments in Lowell and Pierce County too, but high-profile multi-candidate races in New Jersey and New York keep policymakers focused on ways to reform elections; the Baltimore Sun and Miami Herald were among many newspapers publishing commentary from FairVote board member and former presidential candidate John Anderson on how IRV can mitigate the problems of plurality elections.