South Korea's Constitutional Court will announce its ruling on Friday on parliament's unprecedented vote two months ago to impeach President Roh Moo-hyun, a court official said on Tuesday.
Most political analysts expect the court to overturn the vote, allowing the former labour lawyer to resume his presidency after two months in political limbo amid a nascent economic recovery and a crisis over North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
A majority of six of the court's nine independent judges has to vote to uphold or overturn the impeachment. They have been working on a ruling since hearings ended on April 30.
"It will be announced on May 14 at 10 am (0100 GMT) in the main courtroom," a spokeswoman for the court said. "It will be broadcast live."
The opposition-led parliament voted to impeach Roh on March 12 - just over a year into his single-term, five-year presidency - for breaking an election law, economic mismanagement and corruption among his aides.
But last month, a pro-Roh party won a majority in a parliamentary election, underscoring strong public opposition to the impeachment.
The left-of-centre Uri Party tripled its strength in the 299-seat National Assembly, mostly at the expense of the parties that tried to oust Roh.
Although the judges are independent, they are widely expected to take the election result into account. Some analysts say the decision may be closer than many expect.
If the 57-year-old Roh is reinstated, he would be able to address an annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank this week on South Korea's Cheju island, a politically significant comeback for the leader of Asia's fourth-biggest economy.
But government sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Roh would not attend that conference. Local media said he would address the country at a news conference on Saturday.
"If he emerges unhurt, unscathed from the court ruling, then it will have a very calming effect over the country," said commentator Shim Jae-hoon. "The ruling party will have a stronger mandate to push through its political and economic reform."
Roh would be able to reshape his cabinet and press ahead with reforms he was unable to implement in his first year because of resistance in the opposition-dominated parliament. The Uri Party has called for deep economic and political reforms.
The Uri Party elected a reformist member of parliament, Chun Jung-bae, as its parliamentary floor leader on Tuesday. Political analysts and government sources say Uri Party figures could be in line for cabinet posts, including that of prime minister and the minister in charge of delicate ties with the communist North.
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