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https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/s...parliamentary-vote-in-resounding-blow-to-yoon
South Korea opposition wins landslide parliamentary vote in blow to Yoon
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung at a district office in Incheon on April 11. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
UPDATED
APR 11, 2024, 01:09 PM
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SEOUL – South Korea’s liberal opposition parties scored a landslide victory in a parliamentary election held on April 10, dealing a resounding blow to President Yoon Suk-yeol and his conservative party but likely falling just short of a super-majority.
The Democratic Party (DP) was projected to take more than 170 of the 300 seats in the new legislature, data by the National Election Commission (NEC) and network broadcasters showed with more than 99 per cent of the votes counted as at 5.55am (4.55am Singapore time) on April 11.
A splinter liberal party considered allied with the DP was expected to take at least 10 seats, projections showed.
“When voters chose me, it was your judgment against the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and you are giving the Democratic Party the duty to take responsibility for the livelihood of the people and create a better society,” DP leader Lee Jae-myung said.
Mr Lee won a seat in the city of Incheon to the west of the capital, Seoul, against a conservative heavyweight candidate considered a major ally of the President.
The bitterly fought race was seen by some analysts as a referendum on Mr Yoon, whose popularity has suffered amid a cost-of-living crisis and a spate of political scandals.
“Judgment” was the common theme running through comments by opposition victors, many of whom had campaigned heavily focused on what they said was Mr Yoon’s mismanagement of the economy and his refusal to acknowledge that his wife acted improperly when she accepted a Dior bag as a gift.
The PPP was projected to win just over 100 seats, meaning that Mr Yoon would avoid the super-majority of a two-thirds opposition control that could break presidential vetoes and pass constitutional amendments.
But nearing the end of the first two years of his five-year single term allowed by the constitution, Mr Yoon was likely to become a political lame duck, some analysts said.
The NEC was expected to announce the official results later on April 11. Nearly 29.7 million people, or 67 per cent of eligible voters, cast their ballots, according to the commission, including 14 million who had cast their ballots in early voting last week.
It marked the highest-ever turnout for a parliamentary election, though the numbers were down from the 2022 presidential vote that narrowly brought Mr Yoon to power.
Mr Yoon, who took office in May 2022, was not up for election this time, but his ability to pass legislation is likely to be badly damaged by the poor showing by his PPP.
He has suffered low ratings for months, hamstrung in implementing his pledges to cut taxes, ease business regulations and expand family support in the world’s fastest-ageing society.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies professor Mason Richey said Mr Yoon might focus more on his overseas agenda now, though those plans could also be at risk if the opposition seeks to cut budgets with its majority.
“Given his likely lame-duck status, the temptation for Yoon will be to focus on foreign policy where he will still have statutory power,” Prof Richey said. REUTERS
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/s...parliamentary-vote-in-resounding-blow-to-yoon
South Korea opposition wins landslide parliamentary vote in blow to Yoon
Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung and his wife Kim Hye-kyung at a district office in Incheon on April 11. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
UPDATED
APR 11, 2024, 01:09 PM
FacebookTelegram
SEOUL – South Korea’s liberal opposition parties scored a landslide victory in a parliamentary election held on April 10, dealing a resounding blow to President Yoon Suk-yeol and his conservative party but likely falling just short of a super-majority.
The Democratic Party (DP) was projected to take more than 170 of the 300 seats in the new legislature, data by the National Election Commission (NEC) and network broadcasters showed with more than 99 per cent of the votes counted as at 5.55am (4.55am Singapore time) on April 11.
A splinter liberal party considered allied with the DP was expected to take at least 10 seats, projections showed.
“When voters chose me, it was your judgment against the Yoon Suk-yeol administration and you are giving the Democratic Party the duty to take responsibility for the livelihood of the people and create a better society,” DP leader Lee Jae-myung said.
Mr Lee won a seat in the city of Incheon to the west of the capital, Seoul, against a conservative heavyweight candidate considered a major ally of the President.
The bitterly fought race was seen by some analysts as a referendum on Mr Yoon, whose popularity has suffered amid a cost-of-living crisis and a spate of political scandals.
“Judgment” was the common theme running through comments by opposition victors, many of whom had campaigned heavily focused on what they said was Mr Yoon’s mismanagement of the economy and his refusal to acknowledge that his wife acted improperly when she accepted a Dior bag as a gift.
First Lady Kim Keon-hee has not been seen in public since Dec 15, 2023, and was absent when Mr Yoon voted, reflecting the view by some analysts and opposition party members that she had become a serious political liability for the President and his People Power Party (PPP).
The PPP was projected to win just over 100 seats, meaning that Mr Yoon would avoid the super-majority of a two-thirds opposition control that could break presidential vetoes and pass constitutional amendments.
But nearing the end of the first two years of his five-year single term allowed by the constitution, Mr Yoon was likely to become a political lame duck, some analysts said.
The NEC was expected to announce the official results later on April 11. Nearly 29.7 million people, or 67 per cent of eligible voters, cast their ballots, according to the commission, including 14 million who had cast their ballots in early voting last week.
It marked the highest-ever turnout for a parliamentary election, though the numbers were down from the 2022 presidential vote that narrowly brought Mr Yoon to power.
Mr Yoon, who took office in May 2022, was not up for election this time, but his ability to pass legislation is likely to be badly damaged by the poor showing by his PPP.
He has suffered low ratings for months, hamstrung in implementing his pledges to cut taxes, ease business regulations and expand family support in the world’s fastest-ageing society.
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies professor Mason Richey said Mr Yoon might focus more on his overseas agenda now, though those plans could also be at risk if the opposition seeks to cut budgets with its majority.
“Given his likely lame-duck status, the temptation for Yoon will be to focus on foreign policy where he will still have statutory power,” Prof Richey said. REUTERS
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