Around 44.2 million people have the right to vote in close elections
April 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –
South Korea opened the voting centers this Wednesday for legislative elections that are considered a referendum on the country's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, as it will determine how much power he will have during the three years he has left in office, since the next presidential elections are scheduled for 2027.
About 44.2 million people have the right to vote in Asia's fourth-largest economy with 950 candidates and 38 parties having registered, according to data from the country's electoral commission. Predictions do not point to any favorites in these elections, so it is considered difficult to predict the distribution of the unicameral Parliament.
Voting began at 6:00 a.m. (local time, 11:00 p.m. Spanish peninsular time) and will close at 6:00 p.m. (11:00 a.m. Spanish peninsular time) with 300 seats in the National Assembly at stake. Of the total seats, 254 are chosen through direct elections in electoral districts and the rest are assigned by proportional representation. The term of office of the members of the Assembly is four years.
A high turnout is expected, as early voting (held over the weekend) recorded a record 31.3 percent, marking the first time it has exceeded 30 percent since South Korea introduced this system ten years ago. years, in 2014.
TWO DOMINANT PARTIES
The ruling People's Power Party (PPP) aims to regain control of Parliament to strengthen the position of its leader. Meanwhile, the main opposition party, the progressive Democratic Party (DP) of Korea, instead intends to maintain its majority, thus compromising key issues such as the budget.
In the event that the bloc led by the Democratic Party reaches 200 seats, it will be able to override any presidential veto and approve impeachment measures. In this legislature, this party had 160 seats, while the PPP was the second largest bench, with 113.
Both parties have dominated the country's politics for years, although there are a number of smaller parties with a presence in the chamber, some of them being splinter factions from the two main ones.
YOON, FACING LOW APPROVAL RATES
Yoon was elected president two years ago with the narrowest margin of victory in any presidential election, defeating Lee Jae Myung by 0.73 percent. He is currently seeing low approval ratings amid a weeks-long doctors' strike that has forced surgeries to be canceled and waiting times to be extended; the rising cost of living and accusations of corruption.
The South Korean leader is under pressure over the so-called 'Dior bag scandal' after images emerged in November 2023 of his wife accepting a 2,000-euro designer bag, which would violate the country's law that prohibits public officials and spouses accept gifts worth more than 700 euros. Yoon then called the post a “political plan.”
In addition, he has been criticized for the decision to appoint former Defense Minister Lee Jong Sup as ambassador to Australia, because he is being investigated for corruption. Lee resigned at the end of March after protests from both the opposition and the ruling party itself.