[Anchor]
The official campaign period for the April 15 general elections kicked off Thursday, with candidates staging their campaign rally in a relatively calm manner amid the COVID-19 outbreak.
The upcoming polls are largely seen as a barometer for voter sentiment ahead of the presidential election in 2022.
Sehhyeong Kim reports.
[Reporter]
The campaign period will last for 13 days until the eve of the polls.
Up for grabs will be 253 directly elected seats and 47 proportional representation slots, with voters expected to cast two ballots -- one for a candidate and another for a political party.
According to the National Election Commission, a total of 41 parties have registered 1,430 candidates to compete for 300 seats at the National Assembly.
The ruling Democratic Party appealed for voters to support the government's drive to contain the novel coronavirus and minimize the economic impact of the outbreak.
The main opposition United Future Party, meanwhile, criticized the government for failing to stem the pandemic at an early stage and handle the economic downturn.
Candidates from other minor opposition parties, including the Justice Party and the Party for People's Livelihoods, also launched election campaigns in earnest.
The most contested battlefields will be Seoul and the adjacent metropolitan areas, where half of the districts are up for grabs.
The leaderships of the two main parties began their official election campaign in the Jongno District in central Seoul, where former Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon of the DP and UFP Chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn are competing for a seat.
Although the virus outbreak has halted conventional electioneering, political parties' race to earn more proportional representation seats is expected to heat up more than ever.
Sehhyeong Kim, eFM News.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
