Hidden votes hold key to April 11 polls

Hidden votes hold key to April 11 polls

Han Myeong-sook, chairwoman of the main opposition Democratic United Party, has her neck grabbed by a man who tries to hit her face with an egg during a street campaign for the April 11 parliamentary elections in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Monday. Han’s bodyguards overwhelmed the 62-year-old man who appeared drunk and handed him over to police. Han escaped unscathed and continued her campaigning. / Yonhap 5-20% of voters reluctant to reveal their candidates By Kang Hyun-kyung Tight races are underway in dozens of electoral districts, making it extremely difficult to predict which party will gain the upper hand in the Wednesday National Assembly elections. Among others, campaign analysts predict that so-called “hidden voters” will play a decisive role in determining the results of battleground constituencies. According to experts, 5 to 20 percent of voters remain reluctant to give the names of their preferred candidates. Parties are wary of hidden votes given the too-close-to-call races in nearly 50 constituencies out of 112 districts in Seoul and its vicinity two days before polling day. The greater Seoul area accounts for nearly 46 percent of the entire parliamentary seats. Tight races within a margin of error are underway there. In a radio interview, Rep. Lee Hye-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party expressed worry over the role of hidden votes, reminding audience of the power of the silent voters in previous elections. “We’ve seen the powerful impact of hidden votes on elections in the past. In the 2010 local elections and Oct. 26 by-elections in 2011, there was an 8 to 20 percentage points gap between public opinion surveys and the actual election results,” the lawmaker said. “In 2010, even exit polls were found to be misleading as there was 15 to 20 percentage points gap between them and the results.” Rep. Lee, who is serving as a chief campaign strategist in the April 11 voting for the ruling party, said hidden votes are more likely to favor the opposition parties. Campaign strategists of the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) believed a high turnout holds the key to winning the elections. If it hits 60 percent or higher, they said, the liberal party will likely win a majority. On Monday, the DUP leader encouraged voters to vote against the ruling party. Reading a prepared statement, Chairwoman Han Myeong-sook appealed voters to judge the Saenuri Party at the polls. “The Lee Myung-bak government and the ruling Saenuri Party together are resistant to bringing change. Conservative voters are united 100 percent and geared up for the Wednesday elections, whereas liberals are not,” Han said. “I know the DUP made several mistakes and disappointed the general public. We regret this. But we are going to make a new start if voters give us the chance to bring a change in the elections.” The hidden vote factor had drawn keen attention in the 2010 local elections. The Seoul mayoral race in 2010 was one of the prime examples that showed its power. Oh Se-hoon, a former mayor of Seoul seeking reelection, had been ahead of his then rival Han with a double-digit margin. Few questioned Oh’s comfortable win before the election. But the situation drastically changed after the votes were counted. Oh was pronounced to be the winner with a razor-thin margin after his frontrunner position was threatened by Han numerous times. Oh stepped down from the mayoral post last year to take responsibility for a failed referendum on free school lunches.