S Korea head proposes law change

[ViktorNavorski]

South Korea head proposes law change (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6243491.stm)

South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has proposed amending his country's constitution to allow future heads of state to seek a second term in office.

He suggested cutting the presidential term from five to four years, and allowing incumbents to seek re-election to serve a maximum of eight years.
President Roh said the new system would promote the continuation of policies and increase stability.

Any change will not affect Mr Roh, who must step down in February 2008.
South Korea first adopted a single-term presidency in 1987, after decades of authoritarian governments.

But there have been increasing calls for the law to be revoked, to allow successful presidents more time in power.

"The single five-year term adopted in 1987 aimed at preventing long-term rule has served its purpose," Mr Roh said.

It "damages presidential responsibility as it is impossible for the president to have his performance evaluated through the next election," he added.
He said he would collect views from the South Korean people and then formally put forward a bill proposing the necessary constitutional amendments.

Such bills must be approved by at least two-thirds of members of parliament, and confirmed by a national referendum.

Mr Roh himself was elected president in late 2002, but during his term in office his popularity has plummeted.

His approval ratings currently stand at about 10%, and the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) is seen as more likely to provide his successor than his own ruling Uri Party.

[ROKHard]

He's an idiot.

[SBL]

Roh’s Presidential Term Plan Divides Lawmakers
http://english.chosun.com/new/img/clear.gif President Roh Moo-hyun said Tuesday he will invoke his right to propose a constitutional revision to change a president’s current single five-year term to a four-year term, renewable once. The opposition Grand National Party immediately slammed the proposal, which came in a special televised statement, saying the idea is politically motivated and an attempt to fool the public. The minor opposition Democratic Labor Party and People First Party, whose support the ruling party would need, took a wait-and-see attitude. Any constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority of the National Assembly. "The current five-year single term prevents the president from governing responsibly and makes it especially hard to as his tenure nears an end," Roh said in the statement. "If we change the current five-year single-term presidency to two four-year terms, it will significantly improve responsibility and stability in government and consistency and continuity in pursuing initiatives.” Roh also proposed matching the term of the president to the National Assembly’s. "An opportunity to make this change without shortening the presidential and lawmakers’ term comes only once every 20 years. If we don't do it this time, we have to wait another 20 years,” The new president will be inaugurated in February 2008 and the new National Assembly elected that April.
Cheong Wa Dae Chief of Staff Lee Byung-wan told reporters, "It may take three months for the amendment to be proposed and completed, so we think the issue will be resolved in the first half of this year." The government will start building public consensus on the issue this month, he added.

http://english.chosun.com/media/photo/news/200701/200701100018_01.jpg President Roh Moo-hyun delivers a special statement on Tuesday proposing presidents serve renewable four-year terms.
http://english.chosun.com/new/n_img/article_box02bg.gif
The ruling Uri Party’s leadership threw its weight behind the proposal -- except a faction hoping to form a new party, who feel the president is apparently trying to put the brakes on debate about their plan. "I sincerely welcome the president's proposal,” Uri Party chairman Kim Geun-tae told reporters after Roh’s statement. “It will prevent us from wasting national resources.” Former Uri Party chairman Chung Dong-young agreed. "If the amendment is made, it would help us create huge economic value nationwide in the medium and longer term,” Chung said. The prominent Uri lawmaker Chun Jung-bae said this year “is the most appropriate time” to make the amendment.
But the GNP, in a meeting of senior members after the statement, said the focus should be on reviving the economy. “The debate on a constitutional amendment must stop immediately since it will only divide public opinion," it said. "We won't participate in any debate on the matter.” GNP spokesman Na Kyung-won said, "The idea is politically motivated and shows Roh wants to have his own way." She said the president should not drive Korea “into another Sea of Failure” -- a dig at the president’s proposal to rename the East Sea.
All GNP presidential hopefuls were against the proposal as well. Former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak said, "We are not at any critical juncture. We should concentrate on reviving our economy and can’t waste lots of time discussing a constitutional amendment.” Former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye said, "He is really a bad president. Does he only care about the presidential elections?" She also added now was not the time to discuss the matter. Former Gyeonggi Province governor Sohn Hak-kyu said any constitutional change should be dealt with by the next government."
The Millennium Democratic Party said the proposal itself is a good idea, but expressed suspicion that it was made with the ulterior motive of overcoming the ruling party’s popularity crisis. The Democratic Labor Party did not commit itself, merely expressing regret that the president raised such a critical matter so abruptly. The People First Party also said it supports the idea in principle but feels the timing is wrong.
As a result, Roh’s amendment will be hard to achieve. It needs approval from the National Assembly before a referendum on the matter is held, but aggressive opposition from the GNP will make that almost impossible given the ruling party’s minority in parliament. The Constitution stipulates that any constitutional amendment must win support from more than two-thirds of the National Assembly before being put to a referendum. With only 139 seats of the 296 in the National Assembly, Uri needs at least 59 votes from other parties. Even if it wins all the votes of the MDP (11), the DLP (nine), the PFP (five) and independents (five), it needs at least 29 of the GNP’s 127.
The overwhelming feeling in the GNP is that the party as a whole will oppose the amendment. Younger members as well as the presidential hopefuls are against the proposal, making it highly unlikely that dozens of members would break rank. What’s more, support from the minor opposition parties will be at best lukewarm. The DLP and the PFP support the idea in principle but don’t like the timing. That is why opposition parties are more interested in why the president has come up with the proposal although he is fully aware of the mathematics.



Source:
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200701/200701100018.html