Tokyo : Japan LDP leadership race officially kicked off as five candidates announced their bids to lead the ruling party. The contest will decide the next party head and influence Japan’s political direction in the coming years.
The contenders include Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, former Economic Security Ministers Takayuki Kobayashi and Sanae Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, and former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.
All five also competed in last year’s election, which featured a record nine candidates, Xinhua news agency reported.
This year’s contest will focus on key issues such as cooperation with opposition parties, economic measures to tackle rising prices, and rebuilding the party after consecutive election defeats and political funding scandals.
Candidates registered at 10 a.m. local time at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo. Each candidate’s representative submitted the required list of 20 recommending lawmakers.
The candidates will deliver their speeches on Monday afternoon at party headquarters, officially starting full-scale debates.
Over 910,000 party members will participate in the vote, NHK reported. A total of 590 ballots will be cast, split evenly between Diet member votes (295) and party member votes (295). Officials will finalize party member ballots the day before lawmakers vote on October 4. Both sets of votes will then be counted together to choose the new party leader.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba announced earlier this month that he will step down as LDP head, prompting the early leadership contest.
Once the LDP selects its new president, the parliament will hold a prime ministerial designation vote.
Although the ruling bloc has not secured a majority in both parliamentary chambers, analysts say the new LDP leader will most likely become Japan’s next prime minister. The LDP remains the country’s largest party, giving its leader a strong path to premiership.
–IANS
