Ruling coalition loses majority, Prime Minister Ishiba admits bitter reality

The Japanese House of Representatives election officially ended with the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito Party officially losing its majority.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru, President of the LDP, at the party headquarters after the Lower House election on October 27. (Source: Getty Images)

According to Kyodo news agency, the ruling coalition won a total of 215 out of 465 seats in the Lower House, failing to reach its target of 233 seats and much lower than the 288 seats in the previous term.

Of these, the LDP only won 191 seats, a sharp decrease of 65 seats compared to 256 seats in the previous term. Its partner, the Komeito Party, only won 24 seats compared to 32 seats in the previous term.

Although the opposition did not achieve great success when it won 250 seats, the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDPJ) was considered a great success when it won 148 seats, an increase of 50 seats compared to 98 seats in the previous term.

The Democratic Party for the People (DPP) also achieved significant success in this election, gaining 11 more seats than the previous term, from 7 seats to 28 seats.

The Japan Innovation Party (JIP) won 38 seats, down 5 seats from the previous term. The Japanese Communist Party won 8 seats, down from 10 seats in the previous term.

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru described the election result as "difficult" and admitted that "the LDP is far from achieving public understanding" over the slush fund scandal. He expressed hope to continue leading the government to push forward the coalition's policies.

The ruling coalition's loss of majority control in the House of Representatives for the first time in 15 years could force it to seek outside support to stay in power, whether from independent lawmakers or opposition parties.

Politicians predict that the LDP will have to choose between finding new partners to form a ruling coalition or governing as a minority coalition. A special session of the Diet to elect a prime minister will be convened within 30 days of the election, according to the Japanese Constitution.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/bau-cu-ha-vien-nhat-ban-lien-minh-cam-quyen-mat-the-da-so-thu-tuong-ishiba-thua-nhan-thuc-te-cay-dang-291628.html