PoliticsElection debacle for Japan's new head of government
SDA
27.10.2024 - 15:59
Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), led by new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, has suffered a debacle in the election for the powerful lower house of parliament, according to forecasts. The LDP, which has been rocked by a party donation scandal, has lost its sole majority, Japanese media reported unanimously on the basis of voter surveys after the polls closed.
27.10.2024, 15:59
SDA
By contrast, the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan of former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, made significant gains according to the forecasts.
Whether the LDP, together with its smaller coalition partner Komeito, could once again secure a majority of seats in the parliamentary chamber despite the losses was initially uncertain. Late in the evening, Prime Minister Ishiba spoke on television of a harsh verdict from the voters. The vote had to be accepted with humility. Ishiba indicated that he would cooperate with opposition forces on political issues if necessary.
The opposition conservative Democratic Party for the People, which had been seen as a possible third coalition partner, ruled out participating in an LDP-led government on election night.
The 67-year-old Ishiba only took over from Fumio Kishida on October 1. Pre-election polls had already indicated that the coalition parties could find it difficult to achieve the 233 seats required for a majority in the lower house. The LDP has governed the country, which is part of the G7 with Germany, almost without interruption for decades.
The new party and government leader Ishiba expressed the hope that he would be able to continue his policies. The political veteran had set out to renew his party, which had been rocked by scandals. Just eight days after taking office, Ishiba dissolved the lower house in the hope of securing a mandate from voters in the new elections on Sunday.
Some party members involved in the scandal had not been allowed by the LDP to stand as official candidates in the election. Several of them were predicted to lose their seats. Those who were denied the LDP's support had close ties to the murdered Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who had exerted considerable influence on the LDP even after his resignation as party leader in 2020. The LDP did not rule out accepting those of them who won seats back into its ranks.
Ishiba wants to strengthen Japan's defenses in the face of China's assertiveness in the region and the threats posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear programs, and to economically strengthen the country's rural regions, which are suffering the consequences of ageing populations. He has also promised voters that he will mitigate the negative effects of inflation. However, the party donation scandal is weighing heavily on his party.