S.Korean ruling party wins landslide majority in general elections (Ld)

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Seoul, April 16 (IANS) South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) led by President Moon Jae-in has secured a landslide victory in the general elections, results showed on Thursday, which is set to give it an upper hand in pushing ahead with an agenda as the country faces a virus pandemic and an economic slowdown.

In the quadrennial election, held as scheduled on Wednesday despite the coronavirus pandemic, the DP and its sister Platform Party were estimated to have secured a combined 180 seats, or three-fifths of the total, in the 300-seat unicameral National Assembly, reports Yonhap News Agency.

This is nearly double the estimated 103 seats for the main opposition United Future Party (UFP) and its sister party Future Korea Party.

It also marks the biggest majority a party has claimed since the country adopted the direct presidential election system in 1987.

Of the 253 directly contested seats, the DP won 163 seats, followed by the UFP with 84 seats, the liberal Justice Party with one seat, and independent candidates with five seats, according to the results tallied when all votes were counted on Thursday morning.

Of the 47 proportional representation slots, the parties affiliated with the UFP and the DP won 33.8 and 33.4 per cent of the votes, respectively. The Justice Party, the People's Party and the Open Democratic Party got 9.7 per cent, 6.8 per cent and 5.4 per cent, respectively.

This is expected to translate to 19 seats and 17 seats, respectively, for the UFP and DP's sister parties, five seats for the Justice Party, three for the People's Party and three for the Open Democratic Party.

The elections, held in the midst of South Korea's battle against COVID-19, was seen as a referendum on President Moon Jae-in, who has two more years in office, reports the Yonhap news Agency.

Moon's approval rating fell to the 30 per cent level at one point last year, hit by a prolonged economic slowdown and a political scandal involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk.

But the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis has changed public sentiment, as illustrated in recent polls in which Moon's approval rating shot up to over 50 per cent.

South Korea has reported a caseload of nearly 10,600 since its first infection on January 20. It recorded fewer than 30 new virus cases for the third straight day on Wednesday.

The DP's victory will enable Moon to manage state affairs stably during the rest of his single, five-year term.

With 180 seats, the ruling bloc would be able to fast-track the passage of bills without support from other parties.

The general elections, one of the world's first elections to be held amid the coronavirus pandemic, was carried out with extra precautions.

The election watchdog prioritized safety to prevent potential exposure to the risk of infection.

Voters wearing face masks had their temperatures checked at the entrance. They disinfected their hands with sanitizers and put on plastic gloves before casting ballots.

To keep social distancing rules, voters were advised to stand at least 1 meter apart from others.

Despite the virus, more than 29 million voters hit the polls, resulting in a provisional voter turnout of 66.2 per cent, the highest in 28 years.

Turnout in early voting also hit a record 26.7 per cent.

--IANS

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