Shigeru Ishiba, the future Prime Minister of Japan
– Photo: ANI
Expansion
Japan’s incoming Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has announced to hold general elections in the country on October 27. Ishiba said that as soon as he assumes the post of Prime Minister, he will announce general elections on October 27. Shigeru Ishiba has recently won the election for the post of president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party. In Japan, the president of the ruling party becomes the Prime Minister of the country. Shigeru Ishiba will become the new Prime Minister of Japan on Tuesday, replacing current PM Fumio Kishida.
The popularity of the ruling LDP declined due to controversies.
Shigeru Ishiba will take over as prime minister with the start of the parliament session on October 1. The LDP party has a majority in both houses of parliament. In such a situation, the tenure of Ishiba, who was elected party president, as Prime Minister was till July 2025 and after that general elections were to be held in the country, but now Shigeru Ishiba has made it clear that he will announce the elections only after assuming the post of Prime Minister. There has been a decline in the popularity of Japan’s ruling party LDP in recent times. The name of the party has been linked to many controversies. Due to the controversy, current PM Fumio Kishida had to resign from the post.
In such a situation, the new Prime Minister Ishiba is in favor of holding early elections with the aim of wooing his existing popularity and uniting the party. According to media reports, Ishiba may dissolve Parliament on October 9 and after that he will get only 12 days to campaign. The tenure of the Upper House will continue till the stipulated deadline i.e. July 2025.
What is the status of Japan’s parliament now?
The ruling LDP will face the Constitution Democratic Party of Japan in Japan’s general elections. Also, the conservative Japan Innovation Party is also the main rival. The number of LDP MPs is 258 out of 465 seats in the Parliament and this party is in power since 2012. The number of MPs of the Constitution Democratic Party is 99. Whereas the number of MPs of Conservative Japan Party is 45. LDP still has the upper hand, which is why Ishiba has decided to hold elections as soon as he assumes the post of PM.