At 5:00 p.m. Seoul time (3:00 p.m. Vietnam time) on December 7, the South Korean National Assembly voted to approve the impeachment resolution of President Yoon Suk-yeol proposed by the opposition parties. Just before that, a vote was also held to appoint a special prosecutor in the investigation related to the First Lady.
Yonhap reported that the bill related to the First Lady received 198 votes in favor, two votes short of passing. First Lady Kim Keon-hee is embroiled in allegations related to stock manipulation, as well as election interference.
Just minutes before the two parliamentary votes took place, President Yoon's People Power Party (PPP) announced its opposition to the impeachment motion as well as the bill to investigate the First Lady.
Notably, while the plenary session of the South Korean National Assembly was taking place, some People Power Party lawmakers left the room after voting on the incident involving the First Lady.
They appeared to want to boycott the impeachment vote, Yonhap reported. Some opposition lawmakers shouted at ruling party lawmakers: " Traitors, come back now! "
Protesters call for the impeachment of President Yoon outside the Seoul National Assembly building on December 7. (Photo: Reuters)
By around 4 p.m. Vietnam time, only one member of the ruling party remained in the parliament. The Speaker of the South Korean National Assembly criticized: " This is an act of ignoring the will of the people. This is contempt for the people, contempt for the National Assembly. As parliamentarians, you cannot do this! "
Ahn Cheol-soo, a member of the People Power Party, remained in the hall, having publicly declared that he would vote for President Yoon’s impeachment. At around 5 p.m. Vietnam time, another member of the People Power Party, Kim Sang-wook, returned to the hall to vote. Other members greeted him with handshakes.
Thus, only two PPP MPs were present to vote on the impeachment motion, which was still not enough to pass.
Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo sits alone as all his party members leave the parliament. (Photo: CNA)
While an impeachment vote could still take place, the current vote count is not enough to reach the 200 votes needed to pass.
For a motion to impeach President Yoon to pass, it needs the support of at least two-thirds of the National Assembly, or 200 out of 300 seats. Currently, President Yoon's People Power Party holds 108 seats. Thus, the opposition needs at least eight votes from PPP lawmakers to reach the required number. If the motion passes the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court will accept it and must make a decision within a maximum of 180 days.
The opposition leader previously said that if the impeachment motion fails, they will bring the matter back next Wednesday, December 11.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nghi-si-dang-cam-quyen-tay-chay-bo-phieu-luan-toi-tong-thong-yoon-gap-kho-ar912093.html
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