Gyeonggi local elections: Democrats win 19 mayoral posts, People Power Party takes 12

The Democratic Party has achieved a de facto victory in Gyeonggi Province's local elections, securing 19 of the 31 mayoral and county chief positions. The People Power Party managed to hold onto 12 areas, demonstrating resilience in key battlegrounds and successfully defending their positions in the Seoul metropolitan area.

This outcome represents a dramatic reversal from the previous election four years ago, which saw a landslide victory for the People Power Party. However, the results did not lead to a complete sweep by either party, suggesting that voters considered candidate strength and local concerns more than party loyalty. The election clearly reflected the distinct voting patterns between urban and rural areas.

The Democratic Party dominated in major urban centers with large, young populations, including Suwon, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, Anyang, Goyang, and Paju. They secured leadership in three of the four "special cities" with populations over one million: Suwon, Hwaseong, and Goyang, establishing a strong presence in southern and northwestern Gyeonggi.

The People Power Party fortified its position in traditional conservative strongholds, primarily in the rural areas of northern and eastern Gyeonggi, such as Pocheon, Yangpyeong, Yeoju, Dongducheon, Gapyeong, and Yeoncheon. They also achieved victories in key urban areas like Seongnam, Yongin, Ansan, Uiwang, and Gwacheon, narrowly avoiding a complete defeat. Holding onto Yongin, a special city, and Seongnam, a symbolically important city, provides a foundation for challenging the provincial government's policies.

The election also saw mixed results for incumbent mayors and county chiefs. Out of 29 incumbents who ran for re-election, 19, including the mayors of Suwon, Yongin, Hwaseong, and Seongnam, were re-elected, indicating public satisfaction with their performance. However, 10 incumbents, including the mayor of Goyang, were not re-elected, facing the judgment of the voters.