The parliament decides on the president’s political fate tomorrow as a second impeachment motion is put up to a vote.
And while opposition parties stand unified to support the motion yet again the ruling party appears divided.
Our correspondent Lee Shi-hoo explains.
How will the National Assembly decide this Saturday?
To sway the result yet up in the air, the rival parties scrambled to give their last push Friday, the day before the second scheduled vote on President Yoon’s impeachment.
The opposition reported to the plenary session, the motion to impeach the President for “violating his duty to safeguard the Constitution” in his declaration of martial law on December 3rd.
In his final push, the DP Leader Lee Jae-myung said “A new chapter will be written in South Korea’s history” this Saturday, and urged the ruling party lawmakers to join the opposition in their efforts.
“Impeachment is the fastest, most certain way to end this chaos. Please join us in voting for impeachment tomorrow. History will remember your decision.”
This, while internal disputes shake the ruling People Power Party,
with its leader Han Dong-hoon and his close allies standing firm on Yoon’s impeachment, since the president’s public address on Thursday, and the new Floor Leader Kweon Seong-dong arguing that “the party’s consensus, at the moment, is to turn down the impeachment.”
Kweon said that for the party to change the current consensus, it will need the consent of at least two-thirds of all its elected members.
“I will collect the general opinion of the party’s lawmakers on whether to alter or keep the party consensus.”
So far, at least seven ruling party members have spoken openly of their will to vote for the impeachment.
This is just one short of the eight needed from the PPP, for the motion to pass, in addition to full support from the 192-member opposition.
The PPP is expected to hold internal meetings to finalize their consensus before the vote.
But whether its members will adhere to the decision of the party in the anonymous vote remains uncertain as public pressure mounts.
Lee Shi-hoo, Arirang News.
source : https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=278979
