Japan's ruling party loses its majority after snap election

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

The coalition led by Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has lost its majority in parliament, its worst result for over a decade.

Opposition parties secured more than half the seats in the lower house, provisional election results showed.

With 22 seats left to declare, the LDP and its coalition partner, the much smaller Komeito, had gained 208 seats to the opposition's 235.

A party needs a majority of 233 seats in the lower house of Parliament, the Diet, to govern alone.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8xpev42g78o

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Chaos and political drama rock Japan's snap election

According to best estimates, the LDP, which has been in power almost continuously since 1955, has lost its single party majority in the country’s powerful lower house.

LDP also lost its majority as a governing coalition. Its junior coalition partner Komeito lost several of its seats, including that of its chief, as well, meaning that even with its partner, the LDP is still unable to achieve the 233 seats it needs for a majority.
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To stay in power, the LDP will now need to form a coalition with other parties it just fought in the election, and it will do so from a position of significant weakness. That means it must enter negotiations and make concessions to survive.

It is hard to overstate how rare this is. The LDP has always enjoyed a safe and steady place in Japanese politics.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2nn16wrk2o

[ColinC]

1. これはいいですよ

うれしい!!

[former9thward]

2. Does anyone know the Left, Right implications of this election?

The link does not seem to comment on that.

[GregariousGroundhog]

3. This will steer Japanese politics to the left

The National Democratic Party is a conservative party that has been in near-continuous power since it's establishment in 1955, but it is also large tent with multiple internal factions ranging from centrist to far-right.

[SomewhereInTheMiddle]

4. My take ...

Last edited Tue Oct 29, 2024, 03:52 AM - Edit history (1)

I am not an expert, but I have lived in Japan twice.

I don't think it was a political shift right to left, more an expression of a "throw the bums out" mentality. A vote against the JDP rather than for anyone else.

I think the new PM decided on a snap election to strengthen his position while the public was still upset about the corruption scandal and various economic woes. The voters took the opportunity to voice their displeasure.

They, the voters, have done it before. But the JDP will likely return.

Still an interesting and possibly important outcome.

Just my thoughts.