President Moon to submit constitutional amendment bill to National Assembly on Monday
- 6 years ago
The Moon Jae-in administration is expected to submit its constitutional amendment bill to the National Assembly on Monday as originally planned.
But strong resistance from the opposition parties hints at a bumpy road ahead.
The vocal opposition to it means the government might struggle to have it approved in time so it's ready for a referendum in mid-June.
Park Hee-jun has the details.
The Moon administration's proposed constitutional amendment would give future presidents up to two consecutive four-year terms, instead of the single five-year term they get now.
It would also strengthen people's basic rights, and decentralize government power.
The bill is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly on Monday, March 26th, which is the deadline for lawmakers to come up with their own proposal, something that at this point, with only a day to go, they appear unlikely to do.
The government wants to put the constitutional revision up for a national referendum this summer, so the bill first needs to be approved by parliament, but there seems to be little chance of that.
It would need the support of least two-thirds of the chamber's 293 lawmakers, but the main opposition Liberty Korea Party holds 116 seats -- more than enough to block it.
If a referendum is held on the Constitution, the Moon adminstration wants it to happen at the same time as the local elections in June.
That timing, too, has been criticized by the opposition parties,... which argue that more discussion is needed before it's put to voters.
The Liberty Korea Party also accuses the ruling bloc of juxtaposing the issue of the Constitution with the elections to gain political advantage.
It's now less than three months until voters head to the polls, and it's a race against the clock for the administration to get the parties to agree on both the content of the revision and the timing of the referendum.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.
But strong resistance from the opposition parties hints at a bumpy road ahead.
The vocal opposition to it means the government might struggle to have it approved in time so it's ready for a referendum in mid-June.
Park Hee-jun has the details.
The Moon administration's proposed constitutional amendment would give future presidents up to two consecutive four-year terms, instead of the single five-year term they get now.
It would also strengthen people's basic rights, and decentralize government power.
The bill is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly on Monday, March 26th, which is the deadline for lawmakers to come up with their own proposal, something that at this point, with only a day to go, they appear unlikely to do.
The government wants to put the constitutional revision up for a national referendum this summer, so the bill first needs to be approved by parliament, but there seems to be little chance of that.
It would need the support of least two-thirds of the chamber's 293 lawmakers, but the main opposition Liberty Korea Party holds 116 seats -- more than enough to block it.
If a referendum is held on the Constitution, the Moon adminstration wants it to happen at the same time as the local elections in June.
That timing, too, has been criticized by the opposition parties,... which argue that more discussion is needed before it's put to voters.
The Liberty Korea Party also accuses the ruling bloc of juxtaposing the issue of the Constitution with the elections to gain political advantage.
It's now less than three months until voters head to the polls, and it's a race against the clock for the administration to get the parties to agree on both the content of the revision and the timing of the referendum.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News.