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| Rep. Choo Mi-ae, third from right, chairwoman of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and other DPK lawmakers sign a motion at the National Assembly Tuesday to impeach President Park Geun-hye, after watching Park's national address. The opposition bloc is likely to put the impeachment motion to a parliamentary vote Friday. / Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
President Park Geun-hye is highly unlikely to finish her term, so political parties must begin preparing for an early presidential vote, analysts said Tuesday.
Park indicated Tuesday in a national address she will not step down voluntarily, but said she will quit if the National Assembly reaches an agreement on the transfer of power. The opposition parties plan to submit a motion to impeach Park.
Whatever the case, Park is not likely to complete her term that is scheduled to end in February 2018, so the country needs to hold a presidential election earlier than December 2017 when it is scheduled, analysts said.
The main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and two minor opposition parties _ the People's Party and the Justice Party _ have been calling for Park's resignation and impeachment over the corruption scandal surrounding her confidant Choi Soon-sil.
"Given the circumstances, Park will not be able to complete her five-year presidency in February 2018, meaning an early presidential election will be inevitable," said a law school professor at Sogang University, asking not to be named.
He speculated that a presidential election could take place as early as April. "The parties will need at least a couple of months to hold a primary, pick their presidential candidates and run a presidential campaign," he said.
Shin Yul, a political science professor at Myongji University, agreed, although he did not rule out the possibility the National Assembly may fail to draw a power transfer plan.
"I believe the President proposed the Assembly decide her fate intentionally by considering a possible breakdown between the ruling Saenuri Party and the opposition bloc concerning the plan," he said.
"It means Park will gain time to stay in power. But even if that happens, the opposition parties may endorse an impeachment motion jointly with rival factions within the Saenuri Party. Once Park is ousted, around April or June will be the time for the parties to get ready for the election."
A senior official at the Civil Society Organizations Network in Korea claimed that an early presidential election will be "a must" whether or not the Assembly succeeds in introducing a plan in line with Park's offer.
"It does not matter whether Park's proposal will be fulfilled or not. We need to choose our next leader as quickly as possible because the President has already lost control over state affairs," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Presidential hopefuls from the opposition bloc include the DPK's Moon Jae-in and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and People's Party former co-leader Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo.
The Saenuri Party's potential candidate has been lagging behind in favorability ratings since the scandal erupted in late October.
If this happens, it will be the first time for the country to hold an early presidential election since the single-term five-year presidency was adopted in 1987.
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