Roh does not belong to the Uri party, but has said he wants to join. The National Elections Commission ruled last week that Roh had engaged in illegal electioneering, but that the infraction was minor, not warranting criminal charges.
Political analysts said policy may now take a back seat to politics in next month's election.
"I worry the nation may split into pro-impeachment and anti-impeachment factions," said Lee Jung-hee, a politics professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.
"Dreams of a policy competition may be washed away," he said.
Even before the impeachment, Roh's credibility had been undermined by corruption scandals within his administration. Last December, three former Roh aides were indicted on charges of collecting illicit funds from Samsung, LG and other big businesses for the December 2002 presidential campaign.
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