Impeachment motion against Roh Moo-hyun filed

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, March 10, 2004

Impeachment motion against Roh Moo-hyun filed

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

South Korea's two main opposition parties submitted an unprecedented motion Tuesday to impeach President Roh Moo Hyun for failing to maintain political neutrality by publicly supporting a pro-government party ahead of the April 15 parliamentary elections.

The impeachment motion, the first ever filed against an incumbent president, came after the National Election Commission ruled that Roh had violated the election law during a television debate last week by urging voters to support candidates of the de facto ruling Uri Party (Our Party) in the elections.

The law requires public officials to maintain political neutrality in elections.

Roh has refused to accept demands by the largest opposition Grand National Party (GNP) and the second largest opposition Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) to apologize for his remarks.

From the GNP, 108 lawmakers supported the impeachment motion, while 51 MDP lawmakers also backed it. An impeachment motion requires the support from at least 136 lawmakers in the 273-member National Assembly to be voted.

Roh has criticized the opposition's move, saying his remarks were not serious enough to warrant an impeachment motion.

It remains uncertain, however, whether the motion can get enough votes to pass because some lawmakers from the GNP and the MDP raised objections.

In the single-chamber legislature, which has three vacant seats, the GNP has 146 seats, and the MDP 62. Their combined strength is enough to remove Roh from office if 180 lawmakers, or the two thirds of the total, vote for the motion.

The Uri Party, which was formed by lawmakers loyal to Roh, has only 47 lawmakers.

South Korean civic groups say they oppose the impeachment motion but want the president to acknowledge his mistake.

The impeachment proceedings are certain to throw South Korea's politics into chaos ahead of the parliamentary elections.

If the motion passes the National Assembly, it will go to the Constitutional Court, which will make a final ruling on the impeachment.

Source: Agencies

Questions?Comments? Click here

Roh Moo-hyun holds firm over national referendum

Roh Moo-hyun apologizes for funding scandal

S. Korean parties plan impeachment motion

Martin Lee lets US Senate act as if HK was 51st state ( 4 Messages)

Sexual purity still very important to China's youth, survey shows ( 9 Messages)

What's the meaning of Bush & Blair nominated as candidates for Nobel Peace Prize? ( 4 Messages)

Oyama Hiroshi, a Japanese touching heart of Chinese people ( 2 Messages)

It is unexpectedly easy to defeat "China Threat" theory: Japanese economist ( 162 Messages)