Seoul, April 28 (IANS) South Korean Acting President Han Duck-soo is likely to resign and declare his bid for the June 3 presidential election later this week, an official said on Monday.
Han has been a favourite among conservatives to challenge Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party, in the election triggered by the impeachment of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
“(Han’s) resignation from office and bid for the presidential election will be decided on any day from May 1 to 3,” an official at Han’s office told Yonhap News Agency.
As a public official, the acting president faces a May 4 deadline to resign in order to run for election. Given that the conservative People Power Party is scheduled to pick its presidential nominee Saturday, and the observance of an extended public holiday from Saturday through next Tuesday, announcing his presidential bid this Thursday or Friday could maximise public interest.
Before then, Han is expected to follow his public schedule, including a Cabinet meeting Tuesday and a reported meeting with US Secretary of the Navy John Phelan on Wednesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
Supporting the likelihood of a shot at the presidency, several of Han’s aides have been said to be preparing to resign in order to help launch his campaign.
Son Young-taek, Han’s chief of staff, submitted his resignation Monday.
Under the Constitution, the country is required to hold a new election within 60 days after a vacancy arises in the presidency.
The government also designated June 3 as a temporary public holiday.
The National Election Commission began early candidate registration shortly after the Constitutional Court dismissed Yoon.
Candidates will be required to register by May 11 and the official campaign period will kick off on May 12.
The law also requires a public servant running for President to resign at least 30 days before an election, making May 4 the deadline.
The new President will assume office immediately after the election without a transition team.
When former President Park Geun-hye was removed from office on March 10, 2017, the early election was also held exactly 60 days later, on May 9.
Meanwhile, Yoon, who dramatically rose from a top prosecutor to the presidency in about three years, became the nation’s second President to be formally removed from office, with his surprise martial law bid rattling the nation for months and deepening political polarisation.
With the ruling, Yoon, 64, follows in the footsteps of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who was ousted in 2017 when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment over a corruption scandal.
Before taking the nation’s highest office, Yoon began his career as a prosecutor in 1994, rising through the ranks to lead an investigation team into Park’s corruption scandal that ultimately led to her ouster and subsequent imprisonment.
–IANS
int/jk/rad
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
