South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun proposed yesterday that South Korea adopt a new presidential system that allows the country's leader to seek re-election. A presidential election is scheduled for later this year.
Roh said in a nationally tele-vised speech that he would seek to revise the nation's Constitution to change the current single five-year presidential term to two four-year terms, saying the new system would promote policy continuity and stability in state affairs.
By law, Roh is banned from seeking re-election even if the presidential system is changed, his office said.
"The single-term system, above all, damages presidential responsibility as it is impossible for the president to have his performance evaluated through the next election," Roh said.
He also said the current system could even cause a "national crisis" by making it difficult for the president to responsibly manage state affairs when his tenure nears its end.
Roh said he would formally initiate a bill to revise the Constitution after collecting opinions from the public and political parties. He also said changing the presidential system was one of his campaign pledges.
Roh was elected in late 2002 and his term ends in February next year.
South Korea is set to elect a new president in December.
The country adopted the single five-year presidency in 1987, when it introduced a direct presidential election system after decades of rule by military-backed leaders.
Roh said the main purpose of the system was to prevent a president from seeking to remain in power through irregular means, but the country's democracy is viewed by many as mature enough for that to no longer be a concern.
Roh is widely seen as a lame duck, with his approval ratings at rock bottom amid perceptions that he bungled security and economic policies, including a failure to curb soaring housing prices.
Either the president or the National Assembly can initiate a Constitution revision bill. Such a bill requires a two-thirds approval at the parliament and then a majority approval in a national referendum to pass.
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