Abstention
Overview
Abstention (기권, 棄權) refers to the act of not casting a vote for either approval or opposition in a vote or ballot, or not participating in the vote itself. It is typically divided into institutional abstention, in which parliaments or international organizations explicitly state in a vote that they are 'neither in favor nor against,' and de facto abstention (non-participation in voting), in which voters do not go to the polling station on election day. Abstention can be a political expression distinct from simple indifference, and because it directly affects voting outcomes and quorum calculations, it has legal and political significance.
Main Content
Abstention in parliamentary votes
In the National Assembly or local councils, abstention is recognized as an option for not exercising voting rights. Under South Korea's National Assembly Act, resolutions require attendance by a majority of all members and approval by a majority of members present; abstentions count toward 'attendance' but are not included in the vote count for either approval or opposition. Therefore, as abstentions increase, it becomes harder to meet the approval requirement, which can have an effect similar to opposition in practice. In plenary sessions, voting is conducted by methods such as electronic voting, show of hands, or standing, and the same principle applies at the committee stage. Some parliaments separately count and disclose abstentions as material for voters' judgment.
Abstention in elections (non-participation in voting)
A voter's not participating in voting is also called abstention in a broad sense. It is distinct from an invalid ballot: an invalid ballot is a case in which a person went to the polling station and expressed an intention but failed to meet formal requirements, whereas abstention is a case in which the act of voting itself was not performed. Reasons for abstention vary, including political indifference, protest against the lack of candidate options, feelings of alienation, and physical accessibility problems. Some countries, such as Australia and Belgium, have introduced compulsory voting and impose fines for abstention without a justifiable reason, while many countries, including South Korea, do not punish abstention under the principle of free voting.
Abstention in international organizations
In the United Nations Security Council, abstention by a permanent member is interpreted as not exercising a substantive veto and does not prevent the adoption of a resolution. This is used as a diplomatic device by which great powers can express opposition while avoiding the political burden of scuttling the resolution itself. In the UN General Assembly, various specialized agencies, and the Council of the European Union, abstention is also stipulated as part of formal voting procedures, and the number of abstentions is sometimes analyzed as an indicator of political rifts in the international community.
Legal effect and issues
In resolutions of private organizations such as shareholders' meetings, abstention is in principle not counted as an affirmative vote, and the outcome may vary depending on how the quorum is calculated. Because the substantive influence of abstention varies greatly depending on whether the quorum is viewed 'relative to all members' or 'relative to those present,' the interpretation of the wording of articles of incorporation or statutes becomes an important issue. There is also interpretive debate over whether abstention should be viewed as an expression of intent or as a mere omission.
Recent Trends
In 2024–2025, as electronic voting and online voting systems spread, the trend of counting and disclosing abstentions in real time has become pronounced. With the opening of parliamentary voting data, individual lawmakers' abstention histories are being used as material for voter verification, and discussion is active on the need to distinguish 'responsible abstention' from 'evasive abstention.' At the same time, as changes in voter turnout in major elections overlap with the issue of youth political participation, institutional experiments to reduce abstention, such as introducing compulsory voting or electronic voting, are continuing in various countries. On the international stage, cases of abstention by permanent members of the Security Council are drawing attention as diplomatic signals, and competition over the interpretation of the meaning of abstention continues.
Related Topics
- [[Voting]]
- [[Voter turnout]]
- [[Quorum]]
- [[Veto]]
- [[Invalid ballot]]