Preliminary candidate registration for the parliamentary elections in April began Tuesday, while a fast-track bill on electoral reform remains pending at the National Assembly amid continued partisan strife.

The National Election Commission said preliminary candidacy registration is open from Tuesday through March 25 for the April 15 general elections for the 21st National Assembly.

Those who register as preliminary candidates can begin certain campaign activities such as opening campaign offices, distributing campaign business cards, wearing campaign sashes, making phone calls to request support and sending out campaign material. Campaign material at this stage is limited to a single type, and can be sent to no more than 10 percent of households within a candidate’s electoral district.

To register with the NEC, each preliminary candidate must submit a criminal background check, a set of academic records and a family relations certificate, and must pay a deposit of 3 million won ($2,575).

Public officials and others who are ineligible to run for elected office due to positions they currently hold must resign before registering as preliminary candidates.

Preliminary candidates must sign up with the NEC again as candidates during the official registration period if they want to run in the election.

As the National Assembly has yet to vote on a bill that would change the balance of single-member constituencies and proportional representatives in the 300-member legislature, the NEC will receive preliminary registrations based on current constituencies.

Should the bill pass, resulting in changes to the constituencies, the NEC said official candidacy registrations would change accordingly.

The NEC will begin drawing up a list of overseas voters Feb. 26 and will update electoral rolls by March 6. Beginning March 24 it will accept reports from those who intend to cast absentee votes, and it will finalize the list by March 28.

The NEC will receive official candidate registrations March 26 and 27, and overseas voting will take place April 1 through 6. Early voting will take place April 10 and 11.

By Kim So-hyun (sophie@heraldcorp.com)