Volta
Politics29 November 1954

Rounding-Off Amendment

An amendment lifting the term limit for the first president failed by one vote, but the government and Liberal Party declared it passed by rounding off.

On 27 November 1954 an amendment exempting the first president from the two-term limit received 135 votes out of 203. This fell short of two-thirds (135.33…) and was declared defeated, but two days later the Liberal Party declared it passed, arguing that the fraction should be rounded down to 135.

In the 1956 election the Democratic Party candidate Shin Ik-hee campaigned under the slogan "We can’t live like this, let’s change" but died on the campaign trail, and Rhee won a third term. The Democratic Party’s Chang Myon, however, was elected vice president, and Cho Bong-am, then organizing the Progressive Party, won a large vote.

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States and rulers at the time
South Korea — President Syngman Rhee

People

  • Syngman Rhee1875 – 1965

    leader · First President of the Provisional Government, who worked through diplomacy in the US; later first President of the Republic of Korea

  • Shin Ik-hee1894 – 1956

    related figure · Former Provisional Government figure and Speaker of the National Assembly who died while campaigning as the Democratic Party presidential candidate in 1956

Before and after

Earlier
1953 ROK–US Mutual Defense Treaty
Later
1958 Progressive Party Incident