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203548
Thu, 08/25/2011 - 16:31
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https://www.oananews.org//node/203548
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Embattled Seoul mayor mulls early resignation
SEOUL, Aug. 25 (Yonhap) -- Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon will soon announce when he will resign over the failed free lunch vote after consulting with his ruling Grand National Party (GNP) to minimize its negative impact ahead of next year's major polls, his aides said Thursday.
A referendum was held on Wednesday to ask Seoul residents whether they endorsed an opposition-led free lunch program for all, but it was nullified due to low turnout. Mayor Oh had vowed to quit if he failed to stop what he called a "welfare populist" policy through the poll, effectively turning the rare test of public sentiment on welfare spending into a vote of confidence on the conservative mayor.
Now, all eyes are on the 50-year-old Oh as political watchers wait to see when he will leave office and how his decision will affect the political landscape ahead of parliamentary elections next April and a presidential vote in December 2012.
Asked whether he had slept well on his way to work earlier in the day, the mayor replied, "How could I have had a good sleep?" But he stopped short of saying when he will announce his resignation.
According to his spokesman Lee Jong-hyun, Oh is set to announce his decision on Friday after discussing with party members ways to minimize political uncertainty.
"The mayor is currently weighing whether or not he should hold a press conference to announce the date he will step down," another source close to the mayor said, adding that it may take up to 10 days for him to actually leave office after he makes public his decision to step down. The extra time is needed to brief an acting mayor on issues that need to be handled before a new administrator is elected.
Though GNP floor leader Hwang Woo-yea and party chairman Hong Joon-pyo opposed Oh's immediate resignation ahead of the regular parliamentary session, other senior party members said an early retreat is inevitable in order for him to keep his word.
The ruling party plans to hold a meeting of senior leaders Friday to decide how to approach the sensitive issue.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) put pressure on Oh, urging him to step down right now and take full responsibility for the vote that failed to draw residents' support.
"Oh offered to step down and he sternly said he would resign," DP floor leader Kim Jin-pyo said. "As a politician, if he continues to hold office, every single day will be sheer torture for him."
If Oh resigns within the next month, a by-election will be held in October to pick a new mayor, which could be a litmus test on public sentiment ahead of the 2012 elections.
If he stays past September to allow time for a replacement to take over, a by-election will be held next April on the sidelines of the general election, which is less likely to happen considering opposition within the GNP.
If the ruling party loses the seat to the opposition party, political analysts said it could deal a serious blow to the GNP legislators, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Related to the referendum, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Kwak No-hyun said that he planned to push forward the universal free lunch program as planned, but in a cautious manner so as not to put undue financial burden on the city's finances and taxpayers.
The progressive official, who strongly advocates more welfare programs, acknowledged that concerns raised by those opposed to free lunch for all merited attention.
He said on a radio talk show that there have been cases of waste that need to be corrected.
Kwak also said that because of financial restrictions, it may be hard to push forward free lunches for high school students in the near future.
The official, meanwhile, emphasized that since the public has rebuffed the move to restrict the free lunch program, he plans to expand free lunches to all elementary school students within the year by using the 69.5 billion won (US$54.1 million) budget set aside for the program.
A referendum was held on Wednesday to ask Seoul residents whether they endorsed an opposition-led free lunch program for all, but it was nullified due to low turnout. Mayor Oh had vowed to quit if he failed to stop what he called a "welfare populist" policy through the poll, effectively turning the rare test of public sentiment on welfare spending into a vote of confidence on the conservative mayor.
Now, all eyes are on the 50-year-old Oh as political watchers wait to see when he will leave office and how his decision will affect the political landscape ahead of parliamentary elections next April and a presidential vote in December 2012.
Asked whether he had slept well on his way to work earlier in the day, the mayor replied, "How could I have had a good sleep?" But he stopped short of saying when he will announce his resignation.
According to his spokesman Lee Jong-hyun, Oh is set to announce his decision on Friday after discussing with party members ways to minimize political uncertainty.
"The mayor is currently weighing whether or not he should hold a press conference to announce the date he will step down," another source close to the mayor said, adding that it may take up to 10 days for him to actually leave office after he makes public his decision to step down. The extra time is needed to brief an acting mayor on issues that need to be handled before a new administrator is elected.
Though GNP floor leader Hwang Woo-yea and party chairman Hong Joon-pyo opposed Oh's immediate resignation ahead of the regular parliamentary session, other senior party members said an early retreat is inevitable in order for him to keep his word.
The ruling party plans to hold a meeting of senior leaders Friday to decide how to approach the sensitive issue.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) put pressure on Oh, urging him to step down right now and take full responsibility for the vote that failed to draw residents' support.
"Oh offered to step down and he sternly said he would resign," DP floor leader Kim Jin-pyo said. "As a politician, if he continues to hold office, every single day will be sheer torture for him."
If Oh resigns within the next month, a by-election will be held in October to pick a new mayor, which could be a litmus test on public sentiment ahead of the 2012 elections.
If he stays past September to allow time for a replacement to take over, a by-election will be held next April on the sidelines of the general election, which is less likely to happen considering opposition within the GNP.
If the ruling party loses the seat to the opposition party, political analysts said it could deal a serious blow to the GNP legislators, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area.
Related to the referendum, the superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Kwak No-hyun said that he planned to push forward the universal free lunch program as planned, but in a cautious manner so as not to put undue financial burden on the city's finances and taxpayers.
The progressive official, who strongly advocates more welfare programs, acknowledged that concerns raised by those opposed to free lunch for all merited attention.
He said on a radio talk show that there have been cases of waste that need to be corrected.
Kwak also said that because of financial restrictions, it may be hard to push forward free lunches for high school students in the near future.
The official, meanwhile, emphasized that since the public has rebuffed the move to restrict the free lunch program, he plans to expand free lunches to all elementary school students within the year by using the 69.5 billion won (US$54.1 million) budget set aside for the program.
