09 December 2016•Update: 09 December 2016
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach scandal-hit President Park Geun-hye on Friday, easily surpassing the required two-thirds majority of Seoul’s 300-seat parliament.
A secret ballot at the National Assembly saw 234 lawmakers chose to oust their leader, suggesting more ruling party lawmakers turned against Park than expected.
Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn will take temporarily charge while the Constitutional Court has 180 days to either confirm or reject the vote.
The impeachment could potentially lead to a snap election that could see outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon run for the top office.
South Korea’s only previous such impeachment saw the court take just 63 days to block lawmakers’ efforts to force out late former leader Roh Moo-hyun in 2004.
On this occasion, the charges against Park are far more serious, while she also has the people against her having endured record-low approval ratings in the single-digit range.
On Friday, Seoul’s parliament building was surrounded by impassioned protesters following six weekends of mass rallies involving millions of South Koreans angered by claims that the president allowed a secret confidante to rule alongside her and was involved in a scam to coerce companies into making large donations.
The outcome was not only a blow for the president, but also for dozens of ruling Saenuri Party loyalists.
The Saenuri camp appears to be on the verge of a break-up, although analysts believe conservative lawmakers could now rally behind Ban.
Meanwhile, the opposition bloc’s three liberal parties will be hoping for a fast court decision and therefore a speedy election, driven by an ongoing independent investigation into Park.
