Tokyo, Nov 11 (EFE).- The lower house of the Japanese parliament, or the Diet, re-elected Shigeru Ishiba as prime minister by a simple majority on Monday.
Ishiba now heads a minority government after the ruling coalition, made up of the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Buddhist party Komeito, lost its wide majority in the parliament in the October elections.
Ishiba secured 221 votes out of the total of 465 seats in the Diet, in the second round of voting whereas the main opposition leader Yoshihiko Noda got 160 votes.
Ishiba will lead Japan’s first minority government in about three decades; and also for the first time in 30 years, it took two rounds of voting in the lower house to elect the prime minister.
This reflects the unusual and uncertain political situation in Japan, given the electoral setback for the LDP, which has ruled almost uninterruptedly since 1955.
Despite losing its majority, LDP emerged as the largest party in the elections held on Oct. 27, called by Ishiba after being elected the party leader.
Ishiba, 67, took over the reins of the LDP, which has been suffering from a major leadership crisis following the stepping down of Shinzo Abe in 2020.
Since then, the party has been mired in successive scandals, the latest of which involves corruption, leading to discontent among the voters.
Ishiba will lead Japan’s first minority government in about three decades; and also for the first time in 30 years, it took two rounds of voting in the lower house to elect the prime minister.
This reflects the unusual and uncertain political situation in Japan, given the electoral setback for the LDP, which has ruled almost uninterruptedly since 1955.
Despite losing its majority, LDP emerged as the largest party in the elections held on Oct. 27, called by Ishiba after being elected the party leader.
Ishiba, 67, took over the reins of the LDP, which has been suffering from a major leadership crisis following the stepping down of Shinzo Abe in 2020.
Since then, the party has been mired in successive scandals, the latest of which involves corruption, leading to discontent among the voters.
ahg-yk/sc