Lee, in office for a month, has seen his popularity dwindle and is desperate for his conservative Grand National Party to gain a majority in the liberal controlled assembly to pass sweeping reforms aimed at reviving the world’s 13th largest economy.

“All I’m asking is for is a safe margin of seats so that we can put the party back in order and back the policies of the Lee Myung-bak government,” Grand National Party (GNP) chief Kang Jae-sup said in a panel discussion.

“Our goal is a simple majority, at least half the seats plus one, so that we can do the job properly,” he said.

Lee won a commanding victory in the December presidential election, which left the liberals in a shambles.

Analysts had expected the GNP to pummel liberals in the April 9 parliamentary election but said Lee’s bungling of personnel appointments and infighting among conservatives could turn what should have been a landslide into a narrow victory.

Liberals now hold a slim majority in the 299-seat National Assembly but their support waned during the term of Lee’s predecessor, Roh Moo-hyun, an unpopular president.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper on Friday projected a slim GNP majority of 160 seats but only if the party can hold off further internal fighting and breakaways.

The GNP went through a bitter process to pick candidates for the April vote with some members who were not selected due to ethical problems or factional fighting rebelling from the party and running as independents.

Public opinion polls last week showed GNP candidates in some traditional conservative strongholds struggling to keep their lead, with some nominees trailing breakaway former members or opposition candidates.

Lee has outlined an ambitious set of policy initiatives that called for streamlining government and rolling back regulations he feels stifle business. He wants Asia’s fourth-largest economy to grow by 6 percent a year.

Subscribe to The China Post and save.  Click hereSharePrintEmail

Write a Comment

Enter your comments - 800 characters max

Receive China Post promos

Respond to this email