The ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) resumed their negotiations Tuesday to redraw constituencies in preparation for the general election slated for April 13 next year. They previously planned to complete the talks by Friday, five months ahead of the election, following the collapse of their previous talks, but the deadline is likely to be extended further due to wide differences on how to redraw the electoral map. Some worry that their debates could drag on into next year. “They are not expected to reach an agreement by either the Nov. 13 deadline or anytime soon due to differing views,” said Bae Jong-chan, the chief director at political pollster Research and Research.
In previous elections in 2008 and 2012, the National Assembly approved the electoral map with less than two months to go before the elections. In 2004, they managed to complete it with only 33 days remaining.
In addition, should the issue of state-authored history textbooks prolong or other issues arise, the talks may be dragged out longer.
After the Tuesday meeting, the two sides agreed to discuss with their leaderships whether to hold an additional meeting.
Full Article: Electoral map talks may drag on into next year.
