Published on : 11/07/2022 – 02:53Modified : 11/07/2022 – 03:33
The Liberal Democratic Party to which Mr. Abe belonged, and its ally the Komeito, have according to Japanese media a “super majority” of two-thirds in the Senate, which would allow them to modify the country’s constitution.
Japan’s ruling party and its allies secured a ‘super majority’ in senatorial elections, just days after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abelocal media said on Monday (July 11).
The Liberal Democratic Party (PLD, nationalist right) to which Mr Abe belonged, and his ally the Komeito, strengthened their position by winning more than 75 of the 125 seats to be filled in the Upper House, according to national media – the Senate counts 248 seats, half renewed every three years.
They now have a two-thirds “super majority” of the Senate ready to change the country’s pacifist constitution to strengthen its military role on the world stage – a longtime goal of Shinzo Abe.
Acknowledging his defeat, Kenta Izumi, leader of the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party, said it was clear that “the voters did not want to change and hand over the government to us”, according to Kyodo News. The participation rate was only 52%, according to the data available at this stage.
The assassination of Shinzo Abe, turning point of the end of the campaign
“I think it is important that the elections were able to be held normally,” commented Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, adding that he would tackle the important ongoing issues, Covid, Ukraine and inflation. . Two days earlier, the head of government had denounced the “barbaric” attack against Shinzo Abe, his former mentor, insisting on the importance of “defending free and fair elections, which are the foundation of democracy”. “We will never give in to violence,” he added.
In Nara, in the west, the shooting of Mr. Abe, one of the country’s best-known politicians, deeply hurt and moved people in Japan and abroad, and messages of condolences poured in from all over the world, including China and South Korea, with which Japan has an often rocky relationship.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, traveling in Asia, briefly stopped in Tokyo on Monday to offer his condolences in person. Mr Abe’s office told AFP that a wake would be held on Monday evening, and the funeral on Tuesday, with family and loved ones in attendance. They will take place at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo, according to local media.
33% women, a record
The campaign was dominated by price increases and risks concerning the supply of electricity, while the heat wave that has affected Japan since the end of June has raised fears of shortages in this area.
In a country often criticized for the lack of female representation in its institutions and the management of its companies, a record proportion of 33% of women appeared this Sunday among the 545 candidates.
The large victory in the senatorial consolidates the power of Fumio Kishida, who has championed a more redistributive economic policy called “new capitalism”, before a period of three years without scheduled elections.
His close cooperation with Japan’s Western allies to put pressure on Russia has also been praised in the Archipelago, and his plan to “significantly” increase the defense budget is also popular, as China continues to assert its territorial ambitions in Asia-Pacific.
With AFP