Democrats "Grain Management Act, Re-vote on the 13th"... Secret Ballot as Major Variable

Request for Re-vote on Grain Management Act at Plenary Session on 13th
Attention on Possible Defections within Ruling Party Due to Secret Ballot Method

The Democratic Party of Korea officially stated its intention to hold a revote on the amended Grain Management Act, on which President Yoon Seok-yeol exercised his veto power, at the plenary session on the 13th of this month. Some members of the Democratic Party speculate that if the Grain Management Act is subjected to a revote by secret ballot, there may be defections within the People Power Party.

Park Hong-geun, the floor leader of the Democratic Party, said at the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting on the 5th, "The Democratic Party will demand that a revote on the amended Grain Management Act be held at the first plenary session of the April National Assembly on the 13th." This means that the government’s vetoed bill will undergo a voting procedure at the plenary session scheduled for the 13th to process the bill. Park added, "The revote is a procedure stipulated by our Constitution and the National Assembly Act," and "The results of this revote will be closely watched by farmers and citizens nationwide."

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is presiding over the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on the 5th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

The Democratic Party judges that public opinion regarding the Grain Management Act issue is not unfavorable. They are focusing on the fact that the Democratic Party accepted the Speaker’s mediation proposal, that it is a livelihood-related bill, and that it can break the government and ruling party’s obstruction frame. Park Seong-jun, the Democratic Party spokesperson, also conveyed after the Supreme Council meeting that "there was an exchange of opinions that President Yoon will be recorded as the first president among past presidents to exercise veto power on livelihood-related bills."

There is also a forecast that the outcome cannot be predicted even if the vote takes place. To pass the Grain Management Act revote, a majority of the total members must be present, and two-thirds or more of the members present must vote in favor. Considering that the ruling People Power Party holds 115 seats, which is more than one-third, there is a high possibility of rejection.

However, the fact that the vote will be conducted by secret ballot this time is a variable. Article 112, Paragraph 5 of the National Assembly Act stipulates that bills vetoed by the president or matters related to personnel must be voted on by secret ballot. Spokesperson Park said, "Regarding the Grain Management Act, there are talks that People Power Party members internally share the view that it should pass, so we need to watch what the secret ballot results will be."

Jin Seong-jun, the senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, expressed hope for conscientious voting by ruling party members due to the secret ballot procedure. On the same day, on CBS Radio’s Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show, Jin said, "I don’t know what stance the People Power Party will take if this bill is subjected to a revote. They may oppose it as a party line, and since party lines have disciplinary power, we cannot expect individual conscientious voting," but added, "Because it is a secret ballot where names are not revealed, conscientious voting considering the sentiments of rural areas can be expected. If about 15 to 20 votes are cast as such conscientious votes, the bill will pass."

Meanwhile, under the current constitutional system, the president has exercised veto power 16 times, of which 7 cases went through the voting procedure, while the rest were discarded due to expiration of the term without a vote.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.