PPP WINS DP'S EXISTING LOCAL CONSTITUENCY

[Anchor Lead]

The Wednesday by-election was like a mini-general election, as the nation got to choose lawmakers in seven local constituencies. The PPP has won one of DP's existing local constituencies, coming out as a winner.

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Each of the parties aimed to maintain their existing seats while winning at least one of its rivals's seats would've declared a victory. The PPP has virtually won 5-2 by snatching one of the DP's local constituencies. PPP's Park Jung-ha, who was beaten by Lee Kwang-jae in the last general elections in Gangwon Wonju District A, this time defeated DP's former three-term Wonju Mayor Won Chang-muk.

[Soundbite] Park Jung-ha(Elected in Wonju Dist. A of Gangwon-do Prov.(PPP)) : "I believe my election represents Wonju residents' longtime wish for change."

PPP's Ahn Cheol-soo has won in Seongnam Bundang District A by beating his DP rival Kim Byung-kwan in a landslide victory. Lee In-seon of the PPP has won the Daegu Suseong B constituency after three tries. She defeated her DP rival Kim Yong-rak by a wide margin. PPP's Chang Dong-hyuk has won in Boryeong and Seocheon, a conservatively inclined region where former Rep. Kim Tae-heum had served three terms. PPP's Kim Young-seon has won Changwon Uichang, paving the way for her fifth term and becoming the first female lawmaker in Gyeongsangnam-do Province. DP's Lee Jae-myung has won Incheon Gyeyang District B, but his PPP rival Yoon Hyung-seon exceeded expectations by receiving more than 40 percent of the votes. The DP has also managed to protect its seat in Jeju District B, a highly contested region in public polls. Kim Han-kyu, a former Cheong Wa Dae secretary for political affairs, beat his PPP rival Bu Sang-il by a slim margin. In all, the DP now holds 169 parliamentary seats, while the PPP has 114.