Lawmakers and officials of the ruling Democratic Party watch exit poll results for the local elections in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
The ruling Democratic Party (DP) was poised for a sweeping victory in the local elections in a crushing defeat for the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), interim vote counting showed Thursday, a result expected to give President Lee Jae Myung a stronger mandate in his second year in office.
The DP was projected to win as many as 14 of the 16 metropolitan mayoral and gubernatorial posts at stake, while the PPP was headed to secure only one or two key races, according to early ballot counts by the National Election Commission (NEC).
Eleven out of the 16 key races were called or close to being called as of 2 a.m., with the ruling party winning 10 of the 11 races. The DP was also ahead in three of the rest of the five races where it was still too close to call.
Wednesday's elections were held exactly one year after the Lee administration took office on June 4.
