The internal feud at the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy will mark an important turning point this week as Ahn Cheol-soo will soon clarify his position on party leader Moon Jae-in’s proposal to form a temporary triumvirate leadership along with Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

Moon, who has been under persistent pressure to step down over the party’s successive election defeats and continued factional feuding, made the proposal last week. Park accepted the proposal, but Ahn said he needed time to think.

Moon’s proposal is seen as a last resort, as his efforts to restore unity in the party have made little progress with the next parliamentary elections fast approaching.

But Moon’s latest proposal itself has faced criticism both from within and outside the party, some of it well-grounded. For starters, Moon, by proposing a temporary triumvirate, violated the party’s charter that stipulates the Supreme Council as the top decision-making body.

Mayor Park’s prompt acceptance of the proposal causes problems that go beyond the internal affairs of the opposition party. Park said that he would “cooperate with the party within the law” and stay away from the upcoming elections, but few believe that the mayor will be able to stay neutral in elections.

Park is mistaken if he thinks that joining the NPAD leadership will help boost his presidential aspirations. It may indeed strengthen his base in the party ahead of the 2017 presidential election, but will certainly alienate the general public who believe that the mayor should step down from his post if he decides to engage in national politics. It is simply selfish of him to hold on to the mayor’s post while seeking to get a grip on the opposition party.

Meanwhile, we may soon know whether Ahn will accept Moon’s proposal.

The problem, however, is that the party’s future is unlikely to brighten whatever his answer may be. If Ahn’s answer is no, the party will remain divided along factional lines and the nonmainstreamers will further press Moon to resign.

A positive answer from Ahn will have problems too, because it would mean that all the three leaders come from southeastern provinces. That may prompt more nonmainstream party members from southwestern areas to leave the party. All things considered, Moon’s proposal to share the leadership with Ahn and Park is half-baked.