Opinion poll only viable option

A mother places a sticker on a poster prepared by the Seoul Election Commission to raise awareness of the election for the Seoul city education superintendent, in Myeongdong, Wednesday. Constituents in Seoul will vote for a new education chief on the same day as the presidential election day on Dec. 19. / Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han By Kim Tong-hyung Opposition lawmaker Moon Jae-in and independent Ahn Cheol-soo Wednesday continued to spar over how to merge their presidential candidacies as the clock ticked louder toward the Dec. 19 vote. It looks increasingly likely that the Nov. 26 nomination deadline would make the decision for them. With so little time to spare, the only plausible method seems to be a one-off public opinion poll. Jin Sung-joon, spokesman of Moon’s Democratic United Party (DUP), said the window was tight even to conduct a single survey. He added there was a remote but real possibility that the single candidate will come down to a personal decision after a head-to-head, elimination meeting between Moon and Ahn. Ahn echoed Jin’s concerns and admitted that the attempt at a unified liberal front against Park Geun-hye, candidate of the conservative ruling party, Saenuri, was facing the moment of truth. ``If the two camps reach an agreement on a finalized plan, the two candidates will then proceed to act accordingly to the rules and make a decision if a decision needs to be made,’’ Ahn told a panel of broadcast journalists in Seoul. ``If the talks fail to proceed smoothly, I think it would be best for me to personally meet Moon and settle the issue.’’ A visibly testy Jin stressed hours earlier that the camps needed to get things done by Wednesday whatever the cost. As of Wednesday afternoon, however, the camps remained at a stalemate. ``Considering the time we need for selecting the survey manager, educating the pollsters and compiling the results, we clearly don’t have much time. The poll will take two days and we may need an extra day for further research in case the outcome is too close to call or other disputes occur,’’ Jin said at a news briefing at DUP’s campaign office. It remains to be seen how Moon and Ahn’s showing on national television in their first and only presidential debate Wednesday night will influence the possible opinion polls later this week. The outcome would determine the candidate to face Park, who happens to be daughter of late military strongman Park Chung-hee. She has been favored in a three-way race, but the outcome is more unpredictable when Moon or Ahn withdraws. As recently as Tuesday, Moon and Ahn’s campaign strategists were discussing complementing the opinion poll with a separate survey of a sample of DUP delegates and Ahn’s political donators. However, the possibility of an extra survey was eliminated as the camps failed to agree on a voting body before the television debate. Nothing seems to come easy with the public survey either. The two camps remain far apart on the questions to be asked. Moon’s side wants people to pick the candidate they believe better represents liberal political values and priorities. Ahn’s campaign officials on the other hand want them to pick whoever they believe has the better shot at defeating Park. Ahn has been popular with both liberal and conservative voters thanks to his track record as a successful businessman. In the latest Gallup poll released Friday, Moon with 45 percent was ahead of Ahn with 35 percent in a two-way supposed contest. In a two-way competition against Park, however, Ahn with 46 percent appeared more competitive than Moon with 44 percent. The camps are also quarrelling over the timing of the opinion polls. Moon prefers the survey to be conducted on Friday and Saturday, while Ahn prefers Saturday and Sunday. A weekend poll would likely result will likely result in a larger participation of young people, which Ahn’s strategists believe would play in their favor. The age factor is again reflected in a dispute over how to balanced fixed-line and mobile telephony users among those to be quizzed. The camps were in search of the company to manage the survey, opening applications to member firms of the Korea Research Association (KORA).