A man casts his ballot during the general elections at a polling station installed in a school in Tokyo, October 27, 2024. RICHARD A. BROOKS / AFP The vote promises to be particularly difficult for the camp of the new prime minister, threatened with losing its majority in Parliament: the Japanese vote, Sunday October 27, to elect the members of the House of Representatives. In office since October 1, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called this early election hoping to benefit from a state of grace among voters to consolidate his power. But its formation, the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD, conservative right), entangled in a slush fund scandal, could struggle to obtain an absolute majority (233 seats out of 465) in the Lower House of the Diet, the Japanese Parliament, with its coalition partner Komeito (center right), according to several polls. Such a result would be almost unprecedented in the history of the PLD, which has managed to stay in power for almost all of its sixty-nine years of existence. Polling stations are open until 8 p.m. (1 p.m. Paris time) and polls from the polls should quickly provide an idea of the balance of power at the end of this one-round vote. Read also | Shigeru Ishiba appointed Prime Minister of Japan Add to your selections Party financing scandal Voters vote during the early legislative elections, in a polling station in Tokyo, October 27, 2024. RICHARD A. BROOKS / AFP Mr. Ishiba assured, Saturday, during a campaign meeting in Tokyo that the PLD wanted to “start again on new foundations as a fair, just and sincere party.” The leader promised voters “a new Japan”, hoping to implement his agenda of strengthening security and defense, increased support for low-income households and revitalizing Japan’s countryside. But the PLD is struggling to turn the page on its financing scandal, which had already contributed to the unpopularity of the previous prime minister, Fumio Kishida. While Mr. Ishiba had pledged not to support the campaign of the incriminated members, the daily Asahi reported that the PLD had paid 20 million yen (122,000 euros) to the local sections led by these officials, provoking the fury of the opposition and amplifying doubts about the outcome of Sunday’s vote. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The new Japanese Prime Minister wants an “Asian NATO” Add to your selections Mr. Ishiba is also criticized for having reversed course on several subjects since his election, such as the possibility for a married couple not to wear the same last name, or higher capital gains taxation. According to local media, Mr. Ishiba could leave his post immediately in the event of defeat, in order to take responsibility, and would then become the shortest-serving prime minister in the country since the end of the Second World War. The record is currently held by Naruhiko Higashikuni, with fifty-four days in office in 1945. As of Sunday, Mr. Ishiba is only on his twenty-sixth day in office. Also read the analysis | Article reserved for our subscribers Between scandals and massive abstention, the great malaise of Japanese democracy Add to your selections Divided opposition Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, at the head of the Constitutional Democratic Party (PDC), the main parliamentary opposition force , criticized on Saturday “the PLD policy of quickly implementing measures for those who give them a lot of money”. “A majority of Japanese trust Mr. Noda”, whose position “is not so different from that of the PLD. He is fundamentally a conservative, with very pragmatic politics,” explained Masato Kamikubo, professor of political science at Ritsumeikan University, to Agence France-Presse. But a victory for the PDC remains “difficult, because the opposition is very divided,” he added. Le Monde Application La Matinale du Monde Every morning, find our selection of 20 articles not to be missed Download the application The political uncertainty caused by a possible electoral setback for the PLD could particularly panic the financial markets, unaccustomed to this scenario , predict analysts. On Sunday, 1,344 candidates are in the running, including a small proportion of women (23.4%), which is nevertheless a record in a country marked by strong gender inequalities. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content
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