Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is set to fall short of a single-party majority after a close-run snap election, exit polls suggest.
The LDP is projected to win from 153 to 219 lower house seats, broadcaster NHK said. The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) is projected to win from 128 to 191 seats.
A party needs 233 seats to control the house, known as the Diet, meaning the LDP will need to enter a coalition to stay in power.
It was previously in coalition with the smaller Komeito party, though projections suggest their joint vote share may still fall short of a majority, prompting uncertainty about how the world’s fourth-largest economy will be governed.
The election was called by the LDP’s new leader Shigeru Ishiba three days after he was selected as new leader – before he had been officially sworn in as prime minister.
It comes after a tumultuous few years for the LDP which saw a “cascade” of scandals, widespread voter apathy and record-low approval ratings.
The party had seen approval ratings of below 20% earlier in the year, in the wake of a political fundraising corruption scandal.
Yet opposition parties have failed to unite, or convince voters they are a viable option to govern.
The main opposition party had an approval rating of just 6.6% before parliament was dissolved.
“It is so hard to make decisions to choose parties, I think people are losing interest,” Miyuki Fujisaki, a long-time LDP supporter who works in the care-home sector, told the BBC ahead of polls opening.
The LDP, she said, has its problems with alleged corruption, “but the opposition also does not stand out at all”.
“They sure complain a lot, but it’s not at all clear on what they want to do,” the 66-year-old said.
Credit: bbc.com
