Democrats Propose Special Prosecutor for Election Ballot Shortage, Urge Opposition Cooperation

The Democratic Party announced on July 9th its intention to introduce a special prosecutor bill to investigate the ballot shortage that occurred during the June 3rd local elections. The party urged the rival People Power Party to return to the National Assembly and cooperate in passing the legislation, stressing that fairness must be paramount from the initial stage of nominating the special prosecutor.

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The Democratic Party will introduce a special prosecutor bill today.

Cheon Jun-ho, the Democratic Party's floor leader, stated that a recommendation system involving a third party is the most reasonable approach. Traditionally, special prosecutors are nominated by the ruling party, the opposition party, and the Korean Bar Association, with the president making the final appointment. However, Cheon argued that excluding political parties from the nomination process is necessary for investigations concerning election management.

"This is why the special prosecutor bill we are introducing today specifies three third-party organizations as nominators," Cheon explained. He criticized the People Power Party for insisting that only they should nominate the special prosecutor. The opposition party also opposes the Korean Bar Association's involvement, citing a former president's past affiliation, a point Cheon dismissed as illogical.

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The third-party recommendation is the most reasonable.

Cheon further argued that the composition of the National Election Commission itself does not align with the opposition's claims, noting that the People Power Party has two out of three National Assembly recommendation slots, while the Democratic Party has one. "For fairness, those who recommended the election commissioners should not recommend the special prosecutor," he asserted, questioning the People Power Party's motives for insisting on sole nomination rights. He urged the People Power Party to cease fueling claims of election fraud and instead focus on processing livelihood bills in the National Assembly, calling for the swift passage of the third-party nominated special prosecutor bill to resolve the infringement on the right to participate in elections.

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What is the intention behind insisting that only they should nominate the special prosecutor?