Japan's ruling coalition loses majority in lower house

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito won a total of 215 seats, below the 233 needed to maintain a majority.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru speaks to the press on October 27.

NHK reported on October 28 that the ruling coalition failed to maintain its majority in the Japanese House of Representatives, while the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), made significant gains.

Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its coalition partner Komeito won a total of 215 seats.

That was down from the 279 seats they held previously, marking the worst election result since the LDP briefly lost power in 2009. The majority in the lower house is 233 seats.

After the October 27 election, Prime Minister Ishiba will now have to seek more support outside the coalition to run a stable government .

However, according to Kyodo, Mr. Ishiba has expressed his eagerness to form a new government led by his party. Opposition parties, including liberal and right-wing forces, are also expected to struggle to form a coalition due to differences in their policy goals.

The dismal results reflect the LDP's fallout from a slush fund scandal, signaling a major shift in support that helped the party return to power in 2012 after a period in opposition.

A somber-looking Mr Ishiba described the election result as "difficult", while expressing his hope to continue leading the government to promote the coalition's policies.

Komeito President Keiichi Ishii, who took office just a month ago, lost his seat, becoming the first coalition leader to suffer defeat since 2009. Agriculture Minister Yasuhiro Ozato and Justice Minister Hideki Makihara also lost their seats in the election.

Meanwhile, the CDP won 140 seats, up from 98. "Voters chose the party that is best suited to push for political reform. That's why we got so much support," said CDP leader Yoshihiko Noda.

Voter turnout was 53.81 percent, about 2 percentage points lower than the previous election in 2021, according to Kyodo estimates. The number of female lawmakers reached 55, a record high.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lien-minh-cam-quyen-tai-nhat-ban-mat-the-da-so-o-ha-vien-185241028064019426.htm