South Korean presidential election, March 1960
Republic of Korea presidential election, March 1960
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Republic of Korea vice-presidential election, March 1960
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Syngman Rhee
Liberal
Syngman Rhee
Liberal
Chang Myon
Democratic Party
Lee Ki-bung
Liberal
Presidential elections were held in South Korea on 15 March 1960. Shortly after winning reelection to a third term in 1956, Rhee had the legislature pass a constitutional amendment exempting the incumbent president—himself—from the three-term limit. He then immediately announced his candidacy for a fourth term.
After the death of Democratic Party opponent Cho Pyong-ok, Rhee was left as the only candidate, and was re-elected unopposed. Voter turnout was 97.0%. With the lack of a meaningful contest in the presidential race, popular focus shifted to the vice-presidential contest where Rhee's Liberal Party candidate Lee Ki-bung competed against Chang Myon. The elections were heavily rigged in Lee's favor, and widespread allegations of corruption and manipulation of the results sparked protests which spiralled into the April Revolution, causing the annulment of the election, the resignation and exile of Rhee, and the collapse of the First Republic.
Popular hopes of unseating Rhee were frustrated by the death of his opponent Cho Pyong-ok several weeks before the election, leaving Rhee to be elected without opposition.
With no competition for Rhee in the presidential elections of 1960 after the death of his opponent, the simultaneous vice-presidential elections became the main focus of attention. Opposition to Rhee was concentrated around the incumbent Democratic Party candidate, Chang Myon, who had been elected in 1956. Official results after the election showed a large victory for the Liberal candidate, Lee Ki Poong, with a margin of almost 80% to Chang's 17.5%, entirely against popular expectations, and it was obvious that the results had been extensively manipulated: Han goes so far as to say that "the election results were completely fabricated by police headquarters and the ministry of internal affairs".
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