Japan's general election today, will the ruling LDP maintain its majority?

This morning (October 27), Japanese voters began voting for 465 seats in the lower house, with many reports suggesting that the ruling party may face a major challenge.

The election will elect 465 seats in the lower house from more than 1,300 candidates. Attention is focused on whether Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will maintain its majority in the lower house, as media surveys indicate the LDP-Komeito coalition faces many obstacles, according to Kyodo News.

Japanese voters cast their ballots in Tokyo on October 27.

The general election took place after new Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru announced the dissolution of the lower house of parliament on October 9 and called for early elections. Mr. Ishiba affirmed that he would restore public confidence in politics and promote important policies.

Of the 465 seats, voters will cast their votes directly for 289 candidates. The remaining 176 seats will be divided into 11 proportional constituencies and voters will vote for the party they support.

A party or coalition would need to win at least 233 seats to gain a majority. Before the dissolution of the lower house, the LDP-led coalition had won 288 seats.

For the LDP, the challenge comes from regaining public trust after an internal party funding scandal in late 2023.

In addition, in the final days of this year's election campaign, the LDP has faced further criticism. Kyodo News reported on October 24 that the LDP was found to have transferred election support money to several local branches, led by people involved in the political funding scandal and not officially supported by the party. LDP Secretary General Moriyama Hiroshi said that the money was not sent for election purposes but as part of the local branch's operating expenses, thereby expanding the party's power.

Japanese political experts say that while it is not wrong to support local branches legally, it could affect the image in the eyes of voters that the LDP is secretly supporting those involved in the scandal.

The Japan Times reported on October 27 that Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru has intensified his campaigning in the final stages to convince the public that the LDP is still a reliable choice to lead the country.

"We cannot let the country fall into the hands of an opposition that cannot tell voters how it will act on issues such as the economy , the Constitution or social security," Mr. Shigeru said during a stop in Tokyo on October 26.

Meanwhile, the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has a great chance to increase its number of seats in the lower house and replace the ruling party. The CDP has strongly criticized the LDP over the ruling party's handling of the political funding scandal. CDP leader Noda Yoshihiko has repeatedly said that preventing the ruling coalition from winning a majority could bring momentum to Japan's political scene.

The results are expected to be announced on October 28.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhat-ban-hom-nay-tong-tuyen-cu-ldp-cam-quyen-lieu-co-duy-tri-the-da-so-185241027080542981.htm