SEOUL March 12 Kyodo (EDS: ADDING...

SEOUL March 12 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING BACKGROUND)

southern Korea's National Assembly passed an unprecedent impeachment motion against President Roh Moo Hyun upon Friday for his illegal election remarks, stripping him of presidential power.

Prime Minister Goh Kun will take throughout the presidency until the Constitutional Court approves or discards the impeachment within six months

In a floor session of the opposition-controlled assembly, 193 on the outside of a total of 195 lawmakers, for the most part from the largest opposition Grand National Party (GNP) and the second-largest opposition Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) vot for the motion, while no other than two voted against it.

Roh a former human rights lawyer, took office in February 2003 for a single five-year boundary His tenure runs through February 2008

Immediately after the passage of the presidential impeachment motion, Goh called an urgency meeting of ministers responsible for national security to discuss measures to cope with any contingencies.

The motion requireed the approval of 181 lawmakers, or two-thirds of all 271 lawmakers, to pass. Forty-seven lawmakers from the de facto ruling Uri Party (Our explain Party) did not vote.

In a desperate effort to block up the proceedings, Uri Party lawmakers scuffl with opposition lawmakers. moreover National Assembly Speaker Park Kwan Yong invoked his authority to call in parliamentary guards to take the Uri Party lawmakers away.

The impeachment motion passed however the assembly several hours before the 6:27 pm deadline for voting. Otherwise it was to be nullified.

Roh said he reckon upons the Constitutional Court's ruling ''will be different (from the consequence of the parliament vote) because it make deliberations, not upon political grounds, but on legal grounds'' Roh was quot on Yonhap News Agency as telling a dispose of workers in southern Kyongsang Province.

The impeachment measure will make progress into effect if six or more of the court's nine critics approve the parliament vote. An election to pick a of recent origin president will be held within brace months after the Constitutional Court approves the presidential impeachment measure.

''The court will receive a parliamentary entreat to judge on the bill later in the day and will start discussions right away to impede further national uncertainty,'' Constitutional Court President Yun Young Chul said.

''Given the weight of this matter, the court will proce with press and accuracy,'' Yun added.

A senior presidential aide for public information said it count upons the Constitutional Court to ''make its ruling at an early date to such a degree that any confusion in conduct administration will be minimized.''

In the motion filed Tuesday, the GNP and MDP which had the combined legislative potency needed to pass the motion, accused the president of failing to maintain political neutrality ahead of the April 15 parliamentary elections.

The pair parties filed the motion after Roh refused to make a public apology athwart his remarks in favor of the Uri Party ahead of the elections.

The National Election Commission rul last week that Roh violated the law requiring public officials to remain neutral in elections.

The top election watchdog's ruling, made in succession a request from the opposition parties, referr to Roh's remarks in a television debate in late February that he would do everything within the law to help the Uri Party win the parliamentary elections.

In a moderns conference held Thursday, Roh lay asideed the opposition parties' demand for an apology for his controversial remarks and demanded a withdrawal of the impeachment motion filed against him.

Roh's presidency has been marred by dint of a series of corruption scandals involving his clog aides, dealing a major lick to his clean image.

Uri Party Chairman Chung Dong Young denounced the passage of the motion as ''a coup carried not at home under the guise of law,'' and declared an all-out ''legal and political fight'' against the presidential impeachment.

Goh ordered cabinet ministers to maintain calm to carry abroad their duties in the wake of any unstable situation anticipateed to follow the event

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