Ruling Party Opposes Due to Legislative Gaps in National Assembly Act
National Assembly Official: "Considering the Purpose of the National Assembly Act, Plenary Session Is Possible"
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] As the negotiation for the parliamentary committee organization failed to reach an agreement and prolonged, the Democratic Party of Korea unilaterally convened the July extraordinary session of the National Assembly. The People Power Party insists that the plenary session cannot be held due to legislative deficiencies under the National Assembly Act, but the two parties are clashing over the possibility of electing the Speaker from the Democratic Party. Following the first half of the year, the possibility of a unilateral election of the Speaker for the second half is being raised, and the dispute over the procedures is also heated.
On the 20th, after the confirmation vote for Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo passed in the plenary session held at the National Assembly, ruling and opposition party members were leaving the plenary hall. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
On the 29th, amid a deadlock in the committee organization negotiations lasting about a month, the possibility of the Democratic Party unilaterally electing the Speaker is being discussed in political circles. For now, the Democratic Party has requested the convening of the July extraordinary session so that the plenary session can be held on the 1st of next month, and the Secretary-General of the National Assembly has convened the extraordinary session in place of the vacant Speaker position.
Regarding this, the People Power Party states that although the Secretary-General of the National Assembly can convene an extraordinary session in the absence of the Speaker, there are no related regulations allowing the Secretary-General to set the date of the plenary session. On the previous day, Song Eon-seok, the senior deputy floor leader of the People Power Party, said, "Even though the Democratic Party holds an absolute majority of about 170 seats, it is politically wrong to announce an extraordinary session while negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties are ongoing," and added, "Even if the extraordinary session is announced, the Secretary-General setting the date of the plenary session is a direct violation of the National Assembly Act." He further stated, "The plenary session must first elect the Speaker, but since there is no legal provision, it is a legislative deficiency." For these reasons, Deputy Floor Leader Song argued, "If the plenary session is convened on the 1st of next month, there is a high possibility that it will be an illegal plenary session."
On the same day, Kim Hyung-dong, the chief spokesperson of the People Power Party, appeared on CBS Radio's Kim Hyun-jung's News Show and claimed, "Although it is called an extraordinary session, there is also an opinion that it is difficult to interpret the National Assembly Act to allow convening an extraordinary session without a Speaker."
The current National Assembly Act has provisions related to the election of the Speaker in Articles 14 to 18. However, these regulations pertain to the procedures when a new National Assembly is formed after a general election. For the formation of the second half of the National Assembly, there is only a provision stating that the assembly shall convene "five days before the expiration of the first half Speaker's term." There are no separate regulations regarding situations where there is no agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, as in this case. Therefore, the People Power Party argues that since the first half Speaker's term has expired and the position is vacant, there are no relevant regulations, constituting a 'legislative deficiency.'
On the other hand, the Democratic Party disagrees.
A Democratic Party floor official stated, "When the plenary session is held, the temporary Speaker presides over and conducts the session," and argued, "Where in the National Assembly Act does it say that the ruling and opposition parties must agree or must not agree?" They explained that when the plenary session is held, the most senior or eldest member presides and can elect the Speaker.
Jin Sung-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, also stated that the convening of the plenary session was carried out along with the announcement of the extraordinary session. Deputy Floor Leader Jin explained on CBS Radio that "Since the Speaker position is vacant, it is difficult to designate and convene a separate plenary session," and added, "When requesting the convening, the date of the session is specified. Once the date is specified, the Secretary-General of the National Assembly issues the convening notice, and the plenary session must be held on that day."
Amid the differing views between the ruling and opposition parties, a National Assembly official expressed the position that convening the plenary session is possible.
The National Assembly official said, "Although there are ambiguous parts in the regulations, it is not impossible just because there are no regulations," and added, "The purpose of the National Assembly Act is not to prevent (holding a plenary session for electing the Speaker), so it must be done legislatively." Another official mentioned, "If the plenary session must be held only with the agreement of both parties, the second half of the National Assembly might not be able to open if one side opposes." To fix this situation, the National Assembly Act needs to be amended, but if the committee organization is not formed as it is now, the law cannot be amended. Therefore, this official said, "If it is a legislative deficiency, it can be fixed when the National Assembly Act is revised."
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