|
Ahn's rise threatens Park's lead |
|
|
Park Geun-hye, former chairwoman of the Grand National Party, enters the main chamber of the National Assembly in Seoul, Wednesday.
/ Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-keun
|
Ex-GNP leader surpassed by IT expert in polls
By Lee Tae-hoon
More voters would support Ahn Cheol-soo, founder of an antivirus software firm, than Park Geun-hye, the leading presidential contender of the ruling party, if the two were to face off in a presidential election.
The 49-year-old computer expert has support of 43.2 percent, surpassing the 40.6 percent of Park, according to a survey of 700 people conducted Tuesday shortly after Ahn dropped his Seoul mayoral bid despite unrivaled popularity.
Another poll of 1,108 carried out the same day by Mono Research also revealed that Ahn has overtaken the former chairwoman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) in popularity with his support reaching 42.4 percent, compared to Park’s 40.5 percent.
This is the first time for Park, daughter of the late President Park Chung-hee, to concede her lead in opinion polls for the 2012 presidential vote.
Some speculated that Ahn abandoned his bid for Seoul mayor with the forthcoming presidential election in December 2012 in mind, but he flatly denied that.
“Absolutely not. In fact, I haven’t even had time to think about it,” he said Wednesday.
He downplayed the possibility of becoming a presidential candidate, saying his strong popularity in recent polls is rather attributed to the public’s distrust of existing politicians. “It must be a temporary phenomenon,” he said.
Experts, however, pointed out that the surprising outcomes of the surveys signal a possible shift in the nation’s political landscape and this will prompt skeptics to cast doubt on Park’s potential.
“It is a red light on the public’s belief that Park is destined to be next president,” Rep. Won Hee-ryong of the GNP said.
Another GNP lawmaker Cho Hae-jin concurred with him, saying people no longer believe Park will be the most likely winner of the next presidential election.
Some observers predict Park may even see her approval rating nosedive in the near future, unless she distances herself from the negative image created by her party’s constant factional feuding and indifference to the welfare of low-income families.
Park also did not deny the need to bring change. “We will take it as an opportunity to usher in new politics,” the 59-year-old former GNP chairwoman said.
Rep. Chun Yu-ok of the GNP forecast that the political landscape will be hard to predict as an increasing number of voters will seek a fresh alternative to the current political establishment.
“We have witnessed a shift in the mind of voters,” she said.
Rep. Lee Hahn-koo of the GNP took the disappointing survey results as a warning message from the public who have been disappointed with Park. “Park should also continue to make efforts to communicate with the public,” he said.
|
|
안철수, 박근혜 전 대표를 근소하게 앞서
10ㆍ26 서울시장 보궐선거 불출마를 선언한 안철수 서울대 융합과학기술대학원장이 차기 대선후보 여론조사에서 박근혜 전 대표를 근소하게 앞선 것으로 7일 나타났다.
CBS가 안 원장의 불출마 선언 직후인 전날 오후 리얼미터에 의뢰해 전국 성인남녀 700명을 대상으로 긴급 여론조사를 실시한 결과 안 원장은 43.2%의 지지율 기록, 박 전 대표(40.6%)에 2.6% 포인트 앞섰다.
박 전 대표가 지는 것으로 나온 여론조사는 이번이 처음으로, `박근혜 대세론'에 어떤 영향을 미칠지 주목된다. 박 전 대표는 그간 안정적인 30%대의 지지율로 줄곧 1위 자리를 지켜왔다.
지역별 지지율을 보면 경기ㆍ인천(49.3%대 34.1%)과 대전ㆍ충청(49.8%대 32.3%), 광주ㆍ전남(55.1%대 21.0%), 전북(68.4%대 13.2%)에선 안 원장이, 서울(42.6%대 39.2%)과 강원(52.8%대 40.7%), 부산ㆍ경남ㆍ울산(47.4%대 37.1%), 대구ㆍ경북(66.6%대 25.0%), 제주(70.4%대 29.6%)에선 박 전 대표가 각각 우세를 보였다.
세대별로는 안 원장이 20대(48.1%), 30대(58.2%), 40대(45.7%)의 고른 지지를 받은 반면, 박 전 대표는 50대 이상에서만 57.2%의 지지율로 안 원장을 추월했다. (연합뉴스)
|
|
leeth@koreatimes.co.kr |
|
