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Uri chairman Chung Dong-young is in deep trouble as his party is expected to suffer humiliating defeat in the upcoming local elections. Yonhap News
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GNP would benefit, too, but opposes timing
The ruling Uri Party, expected to be crushed in regional elections next week, is reportedly mulling constitutional revision as a means of reshuffling the current South Korean political system. Party members cite not only the single presidential term, but also the mismatch between the four-year parliamentary term and the five-year presidential term, making it difficult for the ruling party to maintain a majority in parliament, as political instability built into the constitution. Speaking at a rally in Gwangyang, South Jeolla province on Wednesday, Uri chairman Chung Dong-young said that following next week’s elections, he would be calling on former prime minister Goh Kun to work with him on the changes. On May 16, Mr. Chung said that next year would be the most appropriate time to revise the constitution. GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye has made it one of her pledges for the 2007 presidential campaign, but she is opposed to Uri’s timing.Asked whether constitutional revision is even a possibility when Ms. Park and Seoul mayor and GNP member Lee Myung-bak are currently opposed to the idea, Mr. Kang said that a revision would be advantageous for GNP presidential candidates, as well, so they are likely to go along with it. If the Uri Party loses a great deal of ground in next week’s local elections, some political observers expect the party’s leadership to resign en masse, at which point an emergency committee will step in and propose a revision to the constitution. These observers say there will then be an all-out campaign for the revision, following the World Cup and the four National Assembly by-elections scheduled for July 26. The widely held view is that revision will not be easy, largely because president Roh Moo-hyun is believed to be opposed to the idea. On the other hand, the deep sense of crisis within the Uri Party has made many within its ranks hungry for action.
