Japan’s new Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, said on Monday (30) that he will call a general election for October 27, following his victory in one of the fiercest disputes for the leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.
The vote, which will take place a year in advance, will decide which party will control the Lower House of Parliament. Parliamentarians will meet on Tuesday to confirm him as the country’s next prime minister.
“It is important that the new administration is judged by the people as quickly as possible,” said Ishiba at a press conference at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo.
This Monday, Ishiba began choosing government and party representatives who will run against him in the next general elections.
So far, those choices include two rival candidates in the leadership race, Katsunobu Kato as finance minister and Yoshimasa Hayashi to remain chief cabinet secretary, a key role that includes the role of the government’s top spokesman, they told Reuters two sources familiar with the appointments.
A close ally of Ishiba, Takeshi Iwaya, a former defense chief, will take over as foreign minister, while General Nakatani will return to the Defense Ministry, a post he held in 2016, said the sources, who asked not to be identified. because they are not authorized to speak to the media.
Yoji Muto, a “former junior minister,” will take over the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, another source said.
Sanae Takaichi, the hard-line conservative he defeated 215 votes to 194 on Friday in the closest leadership election in nearly seven decades, is not included in his picks.
Takaichi’s absence could make it difficult for Ishiba to manage a fragmented ruling group rocked by scandals that have undermined its public support.
Press reports that Takaichi turned down a position “may indicate a weakness in Ishiba’s support base, which could cause him problems in the future,” said Hiroshi Shiratori, a political science professor at Hosei University in Tokyo.
Shigeru Ishiba, 67, won the LDP leadership race on his fifth attempt, with strong support from grassroots members.
However, he is considered a problematic figure by many of his parliamentary peers for frequently challenging party policy. On Friday, before the runoff election against Takaichi, he apologized to LDP lawmakers for his “failures.”
This content was originally published in Japan’s new prime minister will call elections for October 27th and wants to unify party on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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