The provincial council has passed the motion for mayoral election.

Discussion on reforming the administration system is expected to move forward.

Meanwhile, the opposition says that the decision-making body for each city should be restored before the new system is put into place.

Mike Balfour reports.

The provincial council has passed a motion regarding a mayoral election system submitted by the provincial office at its regular session.

[slug] 369th regular session at Jeju Provincial Council

The motion is about change from the current appointment system to elections for the two mayors in Jeju.

The standing committee of the council considered the motion, but it failed to decide whether to approve or reject it.

Without a primary yes-or-no decision, the motion was submitted to the regular session of the council.

At the regular session, 31 councilors voted for the motion out of 41.

[slug] Democratic Party of Korea met to reach agreement

The Democratic Party of Korea, the majority party at the council, met before the session and reached the agreement at the last minute.

Recording
Kim Tae-seok / President, Jeju Provincial Council
41 councilors attended, 31 are in favor of the motion, 9 are against, and 1 abstained. I declare the motion is approved.
<싱크 : 김태석 / 제주도의회 의장>
"재석 의원 41명 중 찬성 31명, 반대 9명, 기권 1명으로 가결됐음을 선포합니다."

[slug] Administration system reform discussion gains momentum

As the motion is passed, discussion on reforming the administration system, which hasn’t show any progress over the last ten years, is expected to move forward.

The province is now drafting an amendment bill for the Jeju Special Act to include the change.

For legislation, the bill should be proposed by the national government or the National Assembly, and lawmakers will vote on it.

[slug] Province: Referendum could happen

The province says that a local referendum on the issue could take place, if needed.

[slug] Civic groups: Mayoral election system without city’s decision-making body would not work

Meanwhile, the opposition, mainly civic groups, says that decision-making body for each city should be restored first for the new system to properly be in place.

The provincial council has given a green light for mayoral elections after a decade of deliberation.

[Reporter] Mike Balfour
[Camera] Kim Seung-cheol

Much greater challenges lie ahead for the change. The province has to obtain support from both residents and the National Assembly

Mike Balfour, KCTV