The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
GOVTDEADLOCKED,SKOREAGOESTO LEGISLATIVEPOLLS:WHYTHEYMATTER
SOUTH KOREA will hold legislative elections on Wednesday to decide the makeup of its 300-member strong National Assembly. Most polls suggest an outcome that will do little to break the deadlock that has gripped the divided government.
Why the polls matter
The election comes nearly two years after conservative candidate Yoon Suk Yeol won the 2022 presidential election defeating Lee Jae-myung of the Democratic Party by 0.73% — the slimmest margin in South Korean history.
South Korea has a powerful presidential system, which is checked and balanced by the assembly that can pass or stop bills.
Yoon is not up for election this time, but the vote is seen as a referendum on the President and his bitter rival Lee. Yoon has suffered from low approval ratings for months. The Korean parliament is currently dominated by the DP, which holds 142 out of 297 seats.
According to a recent poll conducted by KBS and Hankook Research, four in 10 respondents said they would vote for the DP, while 33% said they would back PPP. The two major parties have said dozens of regions are too close to call.
If the opposition wins 200 seats or more, there is a risk Yoon could face impeachment and some PPP members have made this point to appeal to voters.
How polling works
South Korea has a partly proportional representation system for legislative elections, which means voters will cast one ballot for district representatives, who have 254 seats in parliament. They will also vote for a political party which will decide the share of the 46 proportional representation seats.
The rise of third parties in recent polls has come as a surprise in the fourth-largest economy in Asia where politics is often dominated by the two major parties.
Key issues in the election
In recent polls, the cost of living and high food inflation have emerged as key issues among voters. Another issue is the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors and some senior doctors.
Political parties have also vowed to tackle the fertility crisis with measures such as public housing and tax breaks. South Korea has the world’s lowest fertility rate, or the average number of children born to a woman, and data show it is likely to fall to 0.68 in 2024, past the figure of 0.78 in 2022, which was already a record low.
Analysts expect the government’s corporate reform push to continue regardless of the election result as both parties support the plan to boost the stock market.
Corruptionremainsamajorissue.the ambassador to Australia resigned last month amid controversy over his appointment while being under a corruption investigation. Main opposition leader Lee is facing trials over charges including bribery.