A substantial majority of South Korea’s parliament voted to impeach the acting president, Han Duck-soo on Friday.
Han had assumed the role of acting president following the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol on December 14, after his brief imposition of martial law on December 3, which led to the suspension of his presidential powers.
Following Han’s impeachment, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is designated by South Korean law as the next in line to assume the acting presidency.
Out of the 300-member parliament, 192 lawmakers voted in favour of impeaching Han. The Democratic Party (DP), which holds a majority in parliament, moved to impeach Han after he delayed the appointment of three justices to the Constitutional Court.
Although the DP-controlled parliament had approved three nominees on Thursday, Han insisted he would only appoint them if there was bipartisan consensus.
There has been a dispute among ruling and opposition parties, as well as constitutional scholars, regarding whether a simple majority or a two-thirds vote is required to impeach the acting president. Nevertheless, parliament speaker Woo Won-shik, a member of the DP, asserted that a simple majority was sufficient to impeach Han.
Frances Ibiefo
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