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By Park Ji-won
Rival parties are expected to engage in heated debate over a constitutional revision bill President Moon Jae-in will submit March 26.
However, a referendum for the bill will be impossible if the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) rejects it.
President Moon Jae-in has set March 26 as the deadline for the rival parties to come up with an agreement on the constitutional revision, saying otherwise he will submit his own bill. The presidential office announced the government-led bill can be withdrawn if the rival parties have their own bill.
Moon's move likely came to keep his election pledge to hold a referendum coinciding with the local elections on June 13. Also, it is likely a move to put the legislature under pressure so it will discuss the bill.
The rival parties have one week to submit the legislature-led revision bill. However, the parties have shown different views toward the bill.
The DPK, the Bareun Mirae Party, the Party for Democracy and Peace and the Justice Party agree in principle with completing the constitutional revision by June. However, the LKP is against the idea, insisting the proposal of the bill should be done by June.
Apart from the differences in schedules, all parties consent with the idea the bill should be led by the legislature.
The bill needs support from a majority of the 293 lawmakers to be put to a legislative vote. After that, at least two-thirds of the lawmakers, or 196, should vote for the bill so it can be put to a referendum.
This means at least 21 lawmakers from the LKP need to support the bill for it to be put to a referendum, along with the support of the pro-ruling party lawmakers from the DPK, the Bareun Mirae Party, the Justice Party, the Korean Patriots Party and independent lawmakers (175).
Instead, if the LKP can secure 98 seats, it can block the revision.
Out of 293 registered lawmakers, the ruling DPK has 121 seats, while the second-largest LKP has 116 seats. The rest are the minor opposition Bareun Mirae Party with 30 seats, the Party for Democracy and Peace with 14, the Justice Party with six seats, the Korean Patriots Party with one seat, the Minjung Party with one seat and four seats for independent lawmakers.
According to the Constitution, the legislature should review the revision bill within 60 days after it has been proposed. After the proposal which the presidential office plans for March 26, the legislature should pass the bill by May 24 as well as announce the day of the referendum one day after in order to hold a referendum together with the June 13 local elections.
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