Ruling party gears up for unilateral approval of new PM

The ruling Saenuri Party will push to unilaterally win parliamentary approval for President Park Geun-hye's choice for prime minister this week if negotiations with the opposition fall through, the party's floor leader said Tuesday.

The bill to confirm Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn as prime minister has been vigorously contested by the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy since his nomination in late May.

After its unilateral adoption of a confirmation report on Hwang last week, Saenuri is now in negotiations with the NPAD to hold a plenary voting session to pass the bill through the National Assembly.

"Utmost efforts are being made to persuade the opposition party today, but the bill should be processed at least by Wednesday anyway," Saenuri floor leader Yoo Seong-min said during a party meeting.

"If the opposition sticks to its objection, (we) will talk the National Assembly speaker into allowing the ruling party's unilateral passage," Yoo noted, referring to the assembly chairman's authority to put a bill to a vote.

With 160 of the total 298 parliamentary seats, Saenuri controls a majority.

Yoo also called his party members to show up for a possible general parliamentary meeting on Wednesday, so they can pass the confirmation.

The NPAD, meanwhile, remained opposed to the nominee whom the party declared "unfit" because of military service-dodging and influence-peddling allegations.

Hwang was nominated to the second-highest government post in May, a month after then Prime Minister Lee Wan-koo stepped down amid allegations he took 30 million won ($27,000) from a businessman who hanged himself. (Yonhap)

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