Opposition politicians on Thursday suggested South Korea elect the successor to President Park Geun-hye earlier than scheduled, possibly next spring.

The call came amid mounting public criticism of the president, whose credibility and leadership have been critically hurt by a scandal in which she let her civilian friend, Choi Soon-sil, meddle in state affairs. Latest polls show Park’s approval ratings have plunged to an unprecedented number below 10 percent and a majority of the public want her removed from office. In what was intended as a gesture of reform, Park appointed a former opposition figure as the new prime minister to take over much of her role.

“The new Cabinet (currently being formed by Park) is not elected by the people and thus lacks democratic legitimacy to rule,” said Justice Party floor leader Rep. Roh Hoe-chan, the first politician to propose early elections. “We should move up the election to April of 2017.”

Park’s five-year term ends in February 2018, with an election to pick her successor scheduled for December 2017.

The Democratic Party of Korea’s third-term lawmaker Rep. Min Byung-doo echoed the idea.

He said the National Assembly, not the scandal-ridden Park, should form an interim Cabinet, which would lead the country into an early presidential election in the first half of next year.

For an early election to be realized, the current head of state must first vacate the office, either by parliamentary impeachment or voluntary resignation. The Constitution says a presidential election should be held within 60 days of the president‘s departure.

The idea, however, has not yet been embraced by the leadership of the Democratic Party and centrist People’s Party. While acknowledging the underlying concern about a leadership vacuum, party leaders warned that publicly pressing Park to resign could prompt backlash from voters. 

“I understand why people are calling for Park to resign, but a responsible political party shouldn’t push this that far,” said People’s Party interim leader Rep. Park Jie-won in a media interview Thursday. “We will wait and see whether Park will change her stance.”

By Yeo Jun-suk (jasonyeo@heraldcorp.com)