Japanese House of Councillors election, 2007
The Sangiin - election in 2007, formally the " 21 regular election of Sangiinabgeordneten " (Japanese第21回 参议院 议员 通常 选 挙, dai - nijūik -kai Sangiin Giin tsūjō Senkyo ), the Japanese councils House ( Sangiin ), the House of Lords ( join) of the National Parliament ( Kokkai ) took place on 29 July, 2007. Main issues in the election campaign were the weak leadership of Prime Minister Abe Shinzō after several resignations and suicides by ministers and senior officials, as well as a scandal to recover lost records of pension rights.
The governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) and Kōmeitō had done badly in the 2004 election: At that time the oppostitionelle Democratic Party (DPJ ) won for the first time one more seat than the LDP. In the now standing for election half of Sangiin (2001 voted ) defended the LDP an absolute majority of seats.
Result
The turnout was 58.64 % for the direct election and 58.63 % in the proportional representation.
(*) Including Keiko Itokazu of the Okinawa Shakai Taishūtō ( " socialist mass party Okinawa " ), the candidate formally as independents.
Constituencies
Because of the electoral system share the two major parties in general, the seats in the multi - mandate constituencies in particular the two. Especially fought the Einmandatswahlkreise, of which the opposition 2007 23 won, the government only 6 are in the multi- mandate districts, the opposition won 23 seats, the Government 20 In the six largest constituencies (three or five seats) was the Democratic Party their earnings slightly improve. In all two- mandate constituencies, with the exception of Niigata and Gifu the respective DPJ candidate won more votes than the LDP candidate.
According to an adjustment of the numbers of seats to the population distribution of the prefectures of Gunma and Tochigi elected a deputy less than previously, Tokyo and Chiba one more. Then in 2007 was the largest imbalance between Kanagawa ( 1,190,583 eligible voters per deputy ) and Tottori ( 246 572 eligible voters for an MP ), so a 4.8x voting weight.
- Liberal Democratic Party
- Kōmeitō
- Independent
- Democratic Party
- New People's Party
- Independent ( opposition)
Proportional representation
In the national proportional representation, the government coalition won 21 seats, the opposition parties 27 The most preferential votes in the LDP received Yōichi Masuzoe ( 470 571 votes), who had the Abe government criticized for the treatment of the pension scandal, before the first candidates Toshio Yamada ( 449 182 votes), a former member of the Association of the agricultural cooperatives ( Nokyo ). The most preferential votes in the Kōmeitō and also among all list candidates received Kanae Yamamoto ( 1,027,546.325 votes).
The most votes on the list of Democratic Party received Aihara Kumiko ( 507 787 ), previously a board member of the Union of Prefectural and municipal employees ( Jichirō ). The former governor of Nagano, Yasuo Tanaka, received 458 211 votes and won the single seat for his New Party Japan. The Social Democratic Party fell compared to 2001 from three to two seats back, the most preferential votes ( 218 850 ) received Secretary General Seiji Mataichi.
Effects
By choosing the coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) and Kōmeitō lost the majority in Sangiin. Because of its two-thirds majority in Shūgiin she remained true freedom of action, but within the LDP, the election was seen as evidence of bad faith for Prime Minister Abe; also in the Kōmeitō to resentment suggested in view of the election losses. A cabinet reshuffle after the election did not lead to calm the scandal -ridden government. A few weeks later, Abe resigned as party leader of the LDP and Prime Minister of Japan and was replaced by Yasuo Fukuda.
The fact that the two chambers of parliament is controlled by competing parties are referred to in Japan as Nejire Kokkai ( " Twisted Parliament "). This was the fourth Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda ( by Keizo Obuchi in 1998, Toshiki Kaifu, 1989, Ashida Hitoshi 1948), which was not confirmed in the election of the Prime Minister in Parliament by the Sangiin. Also important projects of the government as an extension of the anti -terrorism law and the reform of transport-related taxes in the parliament were delayed and blocked personnel decisions such as the occupation of the Governor post of the Bank of Japan, which depend on the consent of both chambers of the opposition.