Political landscape for next 30 days

[Anchor]

Now there is exactly one week left until the deadline for presidential candidate registration.

Throughout this week, unification negotiations are expected to be the biggest issue in the political arena.

Our political reporter Lee Yoon-woo is here.

Reporter Lee, please summarize the timeline for the upcoming presidential election.

[Reporter]

Yes, the presidential election will be held on June 3, exactly 30 days from today.

Prior to that, candidate registration will take place this weekend, from the 10th to the 11th, and official campaigning will begin at midnight on the 12th.

After that, ballots will be printed starting on the 25th, and early voting will take place on the 29th and 30th.

[Anchor]

With less than a week left for candidate registration, the biggest variable in this election is the so-called anti-Myung big tent, the unification of the conservative camp.

It seems like things aren't going as smoothly?

[Reporter]

Yes, during the People Power Party's primary, candidate Kim Moon-soo was very proactive about unification with candidate Han Deok-soo, being referred to as 'Kim Deok-soo' and 'Eulji Mundeok'.

However, after being elected as the party's presidential nominee, there is a subtle difference in his stance.

While candidate Han has entrusted all matters related to the unification to the party, candidate Kim's side has not yet officially proposed methods or a timeline.

In fact, candidate Kim stated today (May 4) that instead of a one-on-one unification with candidate Han, there should be a unification that encompasses all anti-Myung alliances, including Lee Jun-seok and Lee Nak-yon.

In this case, it is expected that unification before candidate registration may be difficult.

[Anchor]

What happens if unification is not achieved before the candidate registration deadline on the 11th?

Will candidate Han continue to run as an independent?

[Reporter]

That is why unification before candidate registration is important.

There are many practical difficulties for candidate Han to run as an independent without unifying with the People Power Party.

Once he becomes an independent candidate, even if he later unifies with candidate Kim, he will not be able to use the number 2 ballot and will not be able to utilize party organization or party election funds.

For this reason, candidate Kim, the party's presidential candidate, currently holds the initiative in negotiations, and candidate Han's decision to fully entrust matters to the party seems to be for this reason.

However, there seems to be considerable pressure within the party for a swift unification, so it is unlikely that this will be drawn out indefinitely.

[Anchor]

What about the Democratic Party?

Their offensive against the Supreme Court seems very aggressive, following the election law case reversal?

[Reporter]

Yes, while candidate Lee Jae-myung is receiving the highest support in various opinion polls, the judicial risk that had subsided has now resurfaced as a variable due to the Supreme Court's reversal.

If everything follows procedures, many observers believe that it will be difficult to reach a final ruling before the election.

However, there are concerns that the public opinion of the centrist voters could shift depending on the progress of the retrial just before the election.

The Democratic Party is claiming that the Supreme Court is intervening in the election and has even mentioned the impeachment of the Chief Justice. But after a heated debate in today's emergency general meeting, they have decided to hold off for now.

Candidate Lee has been keeping a distance from this matter, as he showed to focus on livelihood issues of the people, but today he has again launched an offensive, questioning whether this is not the start of another rebellion.

The direction of public opinion that is expected to be announced early this week is crucial, and it will be interesting to see how the Democratic Party's strong response to the retrial will influence it.