Parliament launched a 45-day parliamentary investigation into the National Election Commission (NEC) after ballot-paper shortages disrupted voting in the June 3 local elections, approving the plan at a plenary session.
The ballot paper fiasco has triggered protests, the resignation of the NEC chief and calls from President Lee Jae-myung for a thorough investigation.
The special parliamentary committee will examine the NEC and regional election commissions over what lawmakers described as infringements of citizens’ voting rights and the need for election-management reform.
The investigation panel comprises lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party, main opposition People Power Party (PPP) and from minor parties, with PPP lawmaker Yoon Sang-hyun set to chair it.
“The fact-finding investigation is not the end, but the beginning,” National Assembly speaker Cho Jeong-sik said.
“The parliamentary investigation should identify the causes and lead to election management reform measures that the public can trust.”
On Wednesday, NEC acting secretary-general Kang Dong-wan told protesting university student representatives the commission felt “devastated” by its inadequate preparation and would cooperate with the parliamentary inquiry, a joint police-prosecution investigation and its own audit.
An NEC official said on Wednesday ballot shortages occurred at 91 polling stations nationwide, with voting briefly suspended at 26 during the local elections. — Reuters
