South Korea's president, conservative Yoon Suk-yeol, suffered a painful blow after the opposition Liberal Democratic Party managed to renew (and expand) its majority in the National Assembly following the legislative elections held this year. Wednesday.
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, with more than 90% of the votes counted in the country's 254 electoral districts, the Democratic Party led by 160, including several urban areas in Seoul, while the People Power Party (PPP, conservative ), won 160 seats, including several constituencies in the Seoul metropolitan area. Yun, has only advanced at 91 years, however, he should reach 110 representatives.
In an election that many analysts viewed as a veritable “referendum” for Leon, who was elected just two years ago, the only good news for him is that the entire opposition, taken together, is unlikely to be able to elect two-thirds of the 300 seats. Deputies in the Assembly , as suggested by opinion polls revealed by major broadcasters in South Korea.
In this scenario, the opposition would have enough representatives to change the constitution, overcome a presidential veto, and, most importantly, launch a process to remove the head of state.
The Korean Reconstruction (Progressive) Party, founded a month ago by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, is on track to elect up to 15 deputies, but is unlikely to be able to help the opposition reach the two-thirds (200 deputies) target. ).
These calculations include both the 254 representatives elected in the respective constituencies, and the 36 representatives selected through party proportional voting – for example, the People's Republic of China contested only this second vote.
Final results should only be announced on Thursday morning (late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning in mainland Portugal).
Although the South Korean opposition does not reach two-thirds of the members of the National Assembly, it will still have the ability to continue to block most of the laws and reforms proposed and promised by Yoon Suk-yeol when he was elected president in 2022.
Since he cannot run again in 2027 — the Asian country's constitution only allows for one five-year presidential term — the president risks spending another three years without being able to implement his program and, thus, without leaving a political legacy worth noting.
Han Dong-hun, leader of the Pakistan People's Party, admitted, citing Yonhap, that “the Pakistan People's Party has made every effort to establish policies that defend the will of the people, but the results of the forecasts are disappointing.”
Until the end of his term, Yoon is expected to focus on international policy, specifically strengthening the strategic alliance with the United States and continuing a zero-tolerance policy toward threats from neighboring North Korea.
According to the National Election Commission, 67% of registered voters (about 29.7 million people) participated in Wednesday's elections, data that makes these legislative elections the most-participated ever in South Korea.
In the face of an economic slowdown and a deep demographic crisis, Asia's fourth-largest economy is experiencing a period of inflation and a significant increase in the population's costs of living, which, in addition to some scandals involving the president's wife and some former members of the government, brought down Yoon's position. Popularity to low levels.
A former prosecutor who promised to fight corruption, cut taxes and implement structural reforms in the health system, social security and labor legislation, Yoon was elected in 2022 with just 0.73% more votes than his rival, current Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung. .
With his involvement in an alleged bribery and corruption case, Lee was able to lead the party to a new victory on Wednesday, thus strengthening his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections.
