Early presidential election inevitable regardless of impeachment voting results

[Anchor]

Today (Dec. 7), President Yoon Suk Yeol entrusted the ruling party, the People Power Party, with the stabilization of state affairs, including his own term length.

As the vote on the impeachment motion bill is currently underway, it is difficult to make predictions, but whether the impeachment motion bill passes or fails,
there is a high possibility that the political landscape will change rapidly as the clock for the next presidential election ticks faster.

This report is by reporter Moon Ye-seul.

[Report]

President Yoon Suk Yeol broke his silence after three days.

Instead of mentioning the impeachment, he stated that he would leave the issue of his term to the ruling party, the People Power Party.

[President Yoon Suk Yeol: "I will entrust the stability measures for state affairs, including my term, to our party."]

Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, affirmed 'early resignation' without mentioning specific solutions.

[Han Dong-hoon/Leader of People Power Party: "The situation makes it impossible for the president to perform his normal duties, and the president's early resignation is inevitable. (Do you think we should move to a responsible prime minister system?) …."]

The results of the National Assembly's vote on the impeachment motion bill have not yet been announced, but whether it passes or fails, the situation become complicated.

If the impeachment motion bill is passed, the president's duties will be immediately suspended, the Constitutional Court will conduct impeachment proceedings within 180 days, and a presidential election will follow within 60 days.

Whether it will be a 'Cherry Blossom Election' or a 'Summer Election' depends on the speed of the Constitutional Court's proceedings.

However, if the impeachment motion bill ultimately fails, the timing of the next presidential election will depend on the politics of Yeouido.

The opposition party is expected to continue to pressure the ruling party by repeatedly proposing an impeachment motion bill.

[Lee Jae-myung/Leader of the Democratic Party: "If you continue to oppose impeachment and support the insurrection forces, you will have to bear clear constitutional and criminal responsibilities for this…."]

For the ruling party, the burden of accountability will increase each time the impeachment bill fails.

Since the grounds for impeachment involve an illegal state of emergency martial law, the responsibility of the ruling party could be on a different level compared to past political scandals.

The ruling party is expected to buy time for an 'orderly retreat' as they highlight the judicial risks of the opposition's presidential candidates and prepare for the next presidential election.

For a while, Yeouido will see intense political negotiations regarding the impeachment phase, the timing of President Yoon's resignation, the formation of a national unity cabinet, and constitutional amendments, which will likely determine the timeline for the next presidential election.

This is KBS News, Moon Ye-seul.