The Democratic Party’s push to introduce a one-person-one-vote system—a signature reform promised by party leader Jung Chung-rae—collapsed on Friday after the party’s Central Committee voted down two key bylaw amendments.

Both the proposal to abolish the delegate-weighted voting system and a separate amendment to change the nomination rules of local elections failed to secure the required majority, dealing a significant blow to Jung’s leadership.

Of the 596 Central Committee members, 373 participated, with the nomination amendment falling just two votes short of the 299-vote threshold and the one-person-one-vote plan missing the mark by 28 votes.

Party officials said they respected the committee’s decision but expressed disappointment, noting they had revised the proposals to address concerns about underrepresentation in weak constituencies and fears that an activist-heavy membership could dominate outcomes.

The defeat of even the relatively uncontroversial local election amendment has fueled speculation that dissatisfaction with Jung’s leadership contributed to the outcome, raising questions about his political capital ahead of next year’s party convention.