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SEOUL, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) — Park Geun-hye, the candidate of South Korea’s ruling Saenuri Party, won the fiercely contested presidential election on Wednesday, becoming the country’s first female leader and extending the conservative party’s rule for another five years.
As of now, the total number of votes counted is 94.5%. Park Geun-hye, the 60-year-old daughter of former South Korean President Park Chung-hee, has received 51.7% of the votes, becoming the first presidential candidate to receive more than half of the votes since the beginning of democratic elections in 1987.
Her main rival, Moon Jae-in of the largest opposition Democratic United Party, followed closely behind with 47.9%.
According to the National Election Commission, turnout was estimated at 75.8%, the highest level in 15 years.
“I will be a president who puts people’s livelihoods first. I will keep my promises,” Park told a cheering crowd in central Seoul as she accepted her victory.
Park, who campaigned on a platform of creating jobs, expanding welfare and strengthening engagement with North Korea, maintained a narrow lead in almost all pre-election opinion polls, although many were within the margin of error.
Park Geun-hye is a politician known as the “election queen”. She became her father’s de facto first lady after her mother was assassinated and successfully revitalized the Saenuri Party when it was mired in a series of devastating corruption scandals.
Park remains wildly popular among older voters who miss the rapid economic growth under her 18-year authoritarian rule, while critics point to a ruthless crackdown on dissent during her time in office.
Despite fierce opposition criticism of Park’s unwillingness to apologize for abuses during her father’s administration, the five-term lawmaker once again proved her unassailable strength in major southern cities, including her hometown of Daegu.
Moon, 59, a former human rights lawyer who was jailed for protesting Park Geun-hye’s repressive rule, cast the election as a contest between vested interests and new political ambitions.
Moon conceded defeat at a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Seoul, saying: “I failed to fulfill my promise to start a new political era. I congratulate Park Geun-hye on her victory.”
Moon, who served as chief of staff to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, became the lone candidate among the liberal candidates after independent candidate Ahn Cheol-soo and leftist candidate Lee Chung-hee dropped out of the race and endorsed him.
She sought to use the election to cast a judgement on unpopular incumbent President Lee Myung-bak, but Park has managed to distance herself from Lee, who defeated her in the party primary five years ago.
Lee’s five-year term will end in early February 2013.
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