1980 South Korean presidential election

Indirect presidential elections were held in South Korea on 27 August 1980 to fill the vacancy caused by President Choi Kyu-hah's resignation.

1980 South Korean presidential election
27 August 1980
2,540 Deputies of Reunification Assembly
1,271 votes needed to win
 
Nominee Chun Doo-hwan
Party Independent
Electoral vote 2,524
President before election

Park Choong-hoon (Acting)
Independent

 Elected President

Chun Doo-hwan
Independent

Under the 1972 Yushin Constitution, the president was elected by the National Council for Reunification, whose 2,540 members had been elected for a six-year term of office as part of the 1978 presidential elections. General Chun Doo-hwan was the only candidate, and was elected unoposed.[1]

Chun was to serve for the remainder of the 1978–1984 term of longtime president Park Chung-hee, who had died in 1979 and been replaced by Choi. However, Chun subsequently decided to end the Fourth Republic and draft a new constitution, which was promulgated in October 1980 after being approved in a referendum. The first presidential election under the new constitution was held in February 1981, and Chun was elected by an overwhelming majority.[2]

Background

After the assassination of the military dictator President Park Chung-hee in October 1979, Prime Minister Choi Kyu-hah was elected president in the December 1979 elections. However, General Chun Doo-hwan staged the Coup d'état of December Twelfth and effectively took control of the government, making President Choi a figurehead. However, on 16 August 1980, following the Coup d'état of May Seventeenth, Chun removed Choi from office so he could become president himself.

Results

In order to be elected, a candidate had to receive the vote of over 50% of the incumbent members of the National Council for Reunification. With 2,540 deputies in office, Chun had to receive at least 1,271 votes to be elected. He received 2,524 votes, 99.37% of the total possible.

Candidate Party Votes
Chun Doo-hwanIndependent2,524
Invalid/blank votes1
Abstentions15
Total2,540

References
  1. Croissant, Aurel. "Electoral Politics in South Korea" (PDF). Friedrich Ebert Foundation. p. 266.
  2. Editors, History com. "South Korea". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-03-29.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
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