Local Heads Should Step Down 90-120 Days before Election Day

Political parties are scrambling to fine-tune their own party positions and work out measures on the belief that an early revision of the election law is inevitable. The Constitutional Court ruled that Article 53, Clause 3 of the current election law, which requires local government heads to step down 180 days before the election day if they are to run for parliament is unconstitutional.

Though the Court did not disclose its position on until when local heads should resign, many politicians predict that the deadline will be adjusted to 90 to 120 days before the election day.

Parties see that the number of local government heads to run in the general elections is expected to surpass the previously expected 40 to 50 level because for local heads third term is not allowed and in case of running for a parliamentary seat the deadline for resignation is expected to be postponed. Therefore, parties are starting revising their election strategies.

With regard to this issue, Mok Yo-sang, head of the National Assembly`s special committee for political reform, said, "I will ask each party for cooperation to put the Assembly`s committee for political reform into full operation at an early date."

Among the political world and civic groups, however, the prevailing position is that local government heads should step down earlier than other public officials, who should step down 60 days before the election day, because they could wage election campaigns or turn to pork barreling, taking advantage of their status

The National Election Commission had already suggested a revision draft that requires local heads to step down 120 days before the election day, taking into account characteristics of local heads and equal treatment between those heads and other public officials, before the Constitutional Court handed down the ruling.

Against this backdrop, the election commission decided to prepare countermeasures to prevent an expected surge in pork-barreling and illegal election campaigns by local heads.

Sung-Won Park swpark@donga.com