PPP expects narrow races in 55 districts; DP projects definite upper hand in 110 constituencies

The general election races in 55 districts are very close with gaps of just 3-4 percentage points, and 26 of them are in the Seoul metropolitan area, the ruling People Power Party (PPP) said Thursday. Cheong Yang-seog, vice chair of the PPP's campaign committee, made the remarks in a briefing to reporters, citing an analysis from the party's Yeouido Institute think tank, a day before early voting for next week's elections kicks off. "The PPP is either winning or losing in 55 constituencies by a margin of 3 to 4 percentage points," Cheong said. "The current situation is literally like a thin sheet of ice." Of them, 26 were in the Seoul metropolitan area; 13 were in the southern regions of Busan, Ulsan and South Gyeongsang Province; 13 were in the central regions of Chungcheong provinces; and 3 in Gangwon Province, northeast of Seoul, Cheong said. He, however, did not elaborate on how many districts the party deems to have an upper hand in over the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), only noting that the number is higher than early predictions of 82. A string of recent controversies and other ethical lapses of candidates from the opposition bloc, as well as strengthening unity among supporters in the run-up to the elections, could have had an effect, he said. "If we defend well in a number of highly contested areas, the PPP could seize a definite victory. But if we collapse, we could fall behind the minimum threshold needed to prevent a constitutional reform," Cheong said. Meanwhile, the DP said the number of constituencies that were too close to call expanded to over 50 but projected it had a definite edge in 110 districts, in a press conference held early Thursday. "As the elections approaches and (the supporters) for the two parties unite, we are seeing the number of swing districts continually expand," Rep. Han Byung-do, the DP's director of strategy, said. In the most recent survey by four pollsters, the PPP's approval rating rose 5 percentage points to 39 percent, while support for the DP stayed at 29 percent. The survey was conducted from Monday to Wednesday and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Source: Yonhap News Agency