Current parliament should revise National Assembly Advancement Act

In the upcoming 20th National Assembly, the table has been turned over the National Assembly Advancement Act that often causes parliamentary stalemates as the ruling party lost its majority status. The law requires a bill to win 60 percent approval from lawmakers if it is railroaded without reaching a bipartisan agreement. The law allows a minority party to determine the fate of bills.

The ruling Saenuri Party filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court against the National Assembly speaker in January last year, claiming that the speaker infringed upon lawmaker’s legislative rights by refusing to introduce bills due to the law. In January, the party introduced a revision proposal calling for easier conditions for the National Assembly speaker to introduce a bill to the parliament. Having won just 122 seats in the National Assembly, far less than half of total seats, in Wednesday’s parliamentary elections, the Saenuri Party is expected to drop the complaint with the Constitutional Court and try to keep the law intact because it needs the law to keep opposition parties from passing bills of their own agendas.

The main opposition Minjoo Party, which had opposed many controversial bills by taking advantage of the law throughout the 19th National Assembly, no longer needs the law. The Minjoo Party and the People’s Party have 123 seats and 38 seats, respectively, having a solid majority in the legislature when combined. Without the law, the two opposition parties can pass any bill on which they agree. The People’s Party would also want the 60 percent requirement to be removed so that it would enhance the value of its casting vote between the two major parties.

The Constitutional Court said it will make a decision on the law by the end of May, when the current National Assembly’s term ends. However, the top court has never declared unconstitutional any law on the authority of the National Assembly in order to respect the legislature’s self-regulation. Although the table has turned in the parliament, the current National Assembly should revise the law before its term ends in order to ensure smooth operation of the parliament.