Ldp Gears Up For Vote On Abe's Successor
Japan's main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is gearing up for an election to pick a new leader following Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's announcement on Friday that he will step down due to health reasons.
The LDP is expected to officially decide at a General Council meeting next Tuesday on when and how it will hold the vote for party leader.
Party policy chief Kishida Fumio has expressed willingness to run. On Friday, he said he remains unchanged in his resolve to become the next leader.
Former LDP secretary-general Ishiba Shigeru said he must run if he secures the required recommendations of 20 lawmakers.
Former internal affairs minister Noda Seiko and Defense Minister Kono Taro have also shown a readiness to join.
Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu and LDP election strategy chief Shimomura Hakubun both said they will discuss whether to run with their party allies.
Some party members are hopeful of a bid by Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide, citing the need to continue with certain policies, including those for dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
Usually, all LDP party lawmakers plus an equal number of members nationwide vote in the election. But in urgent cases, it can be conducted on the votes of all party legislators plus the representatives of prefectural chapters.
Some LDP members say the next president should be elected with the latter option by mid-September, citing the need to avoid a political vacuum.
Ishiba's faction intends to seek the former option. It was used two years ago, when he won more than 40 percent of the votes among non-lawmakers.
