Minor progressive parties launch 'Unified Progressive Party'

SEOUL, Dec. 5 (Yonhap) -- Three minor opposition parties established a new progressive party on Monday as part of a strategy to boost their chances in next year's general elections. Leaders of the three parties -- the Democratic Labor Party, the People's Participatory Party and a nascent party split from the Progressive New Party -- announced the creation of the new party "Unified Progressive Party." The new party, which now holds seven seats, hopes to increase its power to at least 20 seats in the 299-member unicameral parliament in the upcoming elections. That number is needed as a quorum for a party to be entitled to form a parliamentary negotiating bloc. The UPP will hold a convention in mid-January to set the party platform and nomination rules for the April parliamentary elections, officials said. Talks have been under way for months to form a united front among the minor opposition parties, but stakeholders of each party were divided over whether to form a coalition with the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) or to create a new party. After an opposition-backed independent candidate beat a high-profile ruling party rival in the October Seoul mayoral vote, the opposition blocs sped up their move to create a new party. Although the DP failed to join hands with the minor parties, political analysts still see a chance that the new party could form an alliance with the main opposition party to avoid vote-splitting in key districts. A liberal parliament, if elected, could affect the Lee Myung-bak administration's business-friendly policies and give momentum to welfare drives to narrow growing gaps between rich and poor in Asia's fourth-largest economy. It will be the first time in 20 years that the parliamentary and presidential elections will occur in the same year. (END)