South Korea: Democratic Party leader Lee resigns from chairmanship to run for President

Seoul, April 9 (IANS) South Korean Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung stepped down from the party chairmanship on Wednesday to run for President in the June 3 election, triggered by the ouster of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Lee, considered a front-runner for the upcoming presidential election, announced his decision to resign, with the nation’s largest party expecting Lee to announce his presidential bid as early as Thursday.

Lee is considered a leading candidate in the election, though he is at the heart of several scandals, including a land development scandal in Seongnam, south of Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported.

In 2022, he won the chairmanship of the DP after losing the presidential race to Yoon by a thin margin.

Earlier on April 8, the South Korean government formally designated June 3 as the date of the next presidential election following the ouster of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The designation was made at a Cabinet meeting four days after the Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment of Yoon over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency.

The government also designated June 3 as a temporary public holiday.

The National Election Commission began early candidate registration shortly after the Constitutional Court dismissed Yoon last Friday.

Candidates will be required to register by May 11 and the official campaign period will kick off on May 12.

The law also requires a public servant running for President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the deadline.

The new President will assume office immediately after the election without a transition team, Yonhap news agency reported.

When former South Korean President Park Geun-hye was removed from office on March 10, 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on May 9.

Meanwhile, Yoon, who dramatically rose from a top prosecutor to the presidency in about three years, became the nation’s second President to be formally removed from office, with his surprise martial law bid rattling the nation for months and deepening political polarisation.

With the ruling, Yoon, 64, follows in the footsteps of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.

–IANS

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