In the late 1950s, the Liberal party constantly proposed for a Constitutional amendment. Jang Myeon, as an opposition party leader who was elected as Vice President in the third presidential election, was the direct cause for the Liberal party’s decision to initiate such a scheme. According to the Constitution, the Vice President was the primary candidate in case of absence of the President. The Liberal party wanted to propose a Consitutional amendment which would prohibit Jang Myeon from assuming the seat of President, in case the aging Rhee Seung-man was not able to complete his term.
The second reason was the Liberal party’s deteriorating popularity. The results of both the 1956 Presidential election and the 1958 General election not only showed the growing disaffection against the ruling party, but also suggested the people’s very low expectations on the upcoming election in 1960. The Liberal party sought to shift to the Indirect election system, in order to secure the ruling party’s power.
While initiating a debate for a Constitutional amendment, the ruling party intended to reform the political system by adopting a parliamentary cabinet system, in an attempt to delete the position of Vice President and shift away from the Direct Presidential election system. The Liberal party’s pursuit of a parliamentary cabinet system was partly due to the opposite Democratic party’s own suggestion, which proposed a parliamentary cabinet system too, criticizing Rhee’s dictatorship. By appearing to embrace the opposite party’s suggestion, the Liberal party could evade any criticism upon the amendment which would definitely call it as another scheme of the Liberal party to seize power, and also expect a minimized opposition from the Democratic party.
The Liberal party’s proposal was, however, encountered with the party leader Rhee Seung-man’s fierce objection. President Rhee was concerned that the parliamentary cabinet system would undermine his presidential rights. The Democratic party as well, while some of its members did initiate an informal negotiation with the Liberal party, was mostly critical, and accused the ruling party’s scheme as an ’ill political attempt.’ And most of all, the general public was not warm to the idea of the amendment either.
The Liberal party’s plan, which initiated a constitutional amendment, eventually failed and led to an unprecedented Presidential election fraud in 1960. As a result, the Rhee regime collapsed during the April Revolution, which was fueled by the people’s intense resistance.