Exit polls show Lee Jae-myung of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea winning more than 50 percent of the vote in today’s snap election, while Kim Moon-soo of the governing conservative People Power Party trails behind with about 39.3 percent.
The snap vote was called after former leader Yoon Suk-yeol was impeached and removed from office over his shock martial law decree.
South Koreans turned out in large numbers for the vote, with turnout recorded at 77.8 percent in the hour before polls closed.
When will South Korea’s new president be inaugurated?
The country’s new leader will be sworn in tomorrow.
Since this election is being held two years ahead of schedule – following Yoon’s impeachment – there will be no transitional period, something which usually lasts 60 days.
The new president’s term will begin soon after electoral authorities certify the results from today’s vote. That is expected to take place between 7am and 9am local time tomorrow, and will last no more than 10 minutes.
According to South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper, the new president is expected to begin their official duties with a customary visit to Seoul National Cemetery before attending a scaled-down inauguration ceremony at about noon at the National Assembly, where he will take the oath of office and deliver an address on his agenda.
The new leader’s term will run until June 2030.
Voters have delivered a ‘fiery’ rebuke of Yoon’s government, opposition official says
Reactions to the exit poll results are rolling in.
The acting leader of the Democratic Party has described the projected win for Lee as a “fiery” rebuke of Yoon, the disgraced former president who was impeached after his ill-fated martial law decree.
“I believe the public’s desire to recover from the collapse of livelihoods and the disastrous economy of the past three years under the Yoon administration is what has rallied support behind candidate Lee Jae-myung,” Park Chan-dae said in an interview with the broadcaster KBS.
“If candidate Lee wins as the exit polls suggest, the Democratic Party will put its full effort into carrying out the solemn mandate of the people together with him,” Park added, noting that he expects Lee to speak shortly.
Creidt: aljazeera.com
