Conservatives consolidate power in S Korea poll
SEOUL
NFP leader Park Geun-Hye. AFP photo
South Korea’s ruling conservatives have won a parliamentary poll fought mostly on economic issues, with analysts saying voters opted for stability ahead of a presidential election in December.Official results released in the early hours of yesterday showed the New Frontier Party (NFP) had won 152 seats in the 300-seat National Assembly, 25 more than the center-left opposition Democratic United Party (DUP).
The ruling party, which had 165 seats in the outgoing parliament against 89 for the DUP, initially looked like it would struggle in its bid for re-election ahead of a campaign for a second successive presidential victory in December. The leftist opposition Unified Progressive Party took 13 seats while five went to the right-wing Liberty Forward Party.
The result is expected to bolster the position of NFP leader Park Geun-Hye, a presidential hopeful.
