General election voting began across Japan on Sunday as newly appointed Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba seeks a new role amid increased scrutiny over the ruling party’s handling of political funds.
The Liberal Democratic Party, along with junior coalition partner Komeito, aims to maintain a majority in the 465-seat lower house, but media polls show it faces headwinds.
In the first general election since 2021, each voter will cast two ballots. One is to choose candidates for single-member districts, and the other is to choose parties for proportional representation. Final election results are expected to be known by early Monday morning.
A photo taken on October 9, 2024 shows a board set up in the city of Osaka to display posters of candidates running in the October 27 general election. (joint) == joint
Approximately 1,300 candidates are vying for 465 seats (289 seats in single-member constituencies and 176 seats in proportional representation).
Ishiba dissolved the House of Representatives on October 9, just eight days after taking office, vowing to restore public trust in politics and advance important policy initiatives.
The 67-year-old prime minister has pledged to prioritize mitigating the negative impact of inflation on household finances, strengthening Japan’s defenses against security threats from neighboring countries, and strengthening regional economies and resilience to disasters.
However, on the final day of the 12-day election campaign, it was revealed that the Liberal Democratic Party had provided US$20 million ($132,000) to local branches led by party members who did not win the party’s formal support in the election campaign. faced strong opposition. Because of the slush money scandal.
The political funding scandal has continued to plague the Liberal Democratic Party since its revelations at the end of 2023, and ultimately caused Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida, to abandon his re-election bid and give way to the incumbent. have fallen to a level where they have no choice but to compromise.
The main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party, hopes to take advantage of growing dissatisfaction with the Liberal Democratic Party, which ruled Japan for most of the post-war period, to achieve a change of government.
Before the recent dissolution, the ruling party controlled the more powerful House of Representatives, which held 288 seats, well above the majority line of 233. The Liberal Democratic Party alone had 256 seats, and the Constitutional Democratic Party had 98 seats.
In order for the Liberal Democratic Party to achieve its long-standing goal of amending the constitution, it is essential to secure a two-thirds majority, or 310 seats, or else it will not be able to introduce any amendments before the referendum.
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