Five Female Members of the 5-Party Assembly Hold Inauguration Ceremony
Over 100 Participants from the National Assembly, Unprecedented
Kim Jin-pyo: "Let's Finalize the Election System Within March"
[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] The 'Bipartisan Political Reform Parliamentary Group,' with participation from over 110 members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, officially launched on the 30th. They pledged to pursue political reform to create a democratic electoral system that transcends party interests, represents the people's will, and minimizes wasted votes.
The bipartisan political reform parliamentary group, consisting of 111 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties, held its inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly on the same day. In their declaration, the participating lawmakers stated, "Unlike the presidential election where only one person is elected, the reason for electing 300 members of the National Assembly is to properly reflect the will of the people nationwide and lead national governance comprehensively," adding, "We will create an electoral system that best captures the political will and voice of the people." The declaration also stated, "We will create a democratic electoral system that minimizes wasted votes (死票) and maximally reflects the people's voting intentions (票心)," and "We will derive political reform measures that the vast majority of the people can support."
As the goal of political reform, they declared, "We will open an era of national integration where citizens compete for a better life, not political factions, and an era of balanced development overcoming the polarization between the metropolitan area and provinces and regional extinction."
On the 30th, at the launch ceremony of the bipartisan political reform lawmakers' group held at the National Assembly, Speaker Kim Jin-pyo, People Power Party Emergency Committee Chairman Jeong Jin-seok, Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, and other ruling and opposition lawmakers are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
As of that morning, 104 lawmakers had confirmed attendance, but just before the inauguration ceremony, the number increased to 111.
Speaker of the National Assembly Kim Jin-pyo said in his congratulatory speech, "I am confident that the number will surely exceed 200 by the end of February," and added, "Seeing the lawmakers who have come together to solve the era's task of political reform beyond personal interests and benefits, I embrace new hopes for the new year." Speaker Kim also said, "At the end of last year, I requested the Special Committee on Political Reform to propose multiple options by the end of February," and forecasted, "We will hold full committee meetings more than twice a week throughout March and broadcast the discussions live on the National Assembly Broadcasting to show the public the election law reform process as it happens. After intensive deliberations, we expect to finalize the electoral system reform plan within March." He continued, "With a better system that reduces conflicts and increases proportionality of votes in next year's general election, the public will be able to trust the political sphere," and urged, "Starting with political system reform, please complete the long-standing task of constitutional amendment."
The launch of such a large-scale bipartisan parliamentary group transcending ruling and opposition parties during the electoral system discussion process is unprecedented. This parliamentary group plans to support the Special Committee on Political Reform in discussing practical electoral district systems and promote public discourse. When the full committee proposed by the Speaker convenes, the group is expected to serve as a bridge to reconcile differences among lawmakers across parties and regions.
This group was formed by members of the 'Bipartisan Political Reform Forum' that began last September, joining the parliamentary group proposed by nine senior lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties on the 9th. Originally around 60 members, the group nearly doubled in size after about two weeks of preparation.
The group will hold public discussions every Monday at 10 a.m. to support transparent activities. They will act as a public forum for all lawmakers regarding election law amendments and take a leading role in party-specific discussions according to official schedules such as the Special Committee on Political Reform and the full committee. They will also hold meetings to gather opinions from not only lawmakers but also local party heads outside the National Assembly and engage in collecting views from conservative and progressive civil society for electoral system reform.
Although leadership from both ruling and opposition parties attended and gave congratulatory speeches, differences in tone were detected. Jeong Jin-seok, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, said, "Electoral system and power structure reform is an urgent task for politicians," but added, "If we try to do too much at once, we might end up doing nothing. Focusing on urgent tasks with a high level of public consensus is what former President Roh Moo-hyun meant when he proposed a one-point constitutional amendment." Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said, "Creating a proper political system that guarantees representativeness and proportionality and resolves regionalism is an important responsibility for politicians," and pledged, "We will do our best."
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