Latest opinion polls continue to show that the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is likely to snatch a landslide victory in the upcoming lower house election scheduled for Sunday.
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Japan's main opposition Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama answers reporters' questions after casting his absentee ballot for the upcoming house election in Tokyo August 26, 2009.[Xinhua] |
In its survey conducted Tuesday through Thursday, the Yomiuri Shimbun said that the DPJ could win more than 300 seats, pointing to the strong likelihood of a change of government.
The survey was conducted in 200 single-seat constituencies of the nation's 300 constituencies -- mainly closely contested constituencies or those particularly in the public eye in the final few days of the contest.
According to the survey, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidates have failed to put the brakes on the DPJ's campaign juggernaut though they have narrowed the gap with DPJ candidates in a few constituencies.
In a separate poll conducted by the Asahi Shimbun from Saturday to Tuesday, the DPJ is projected to win 320, or two-thirds, of the 480 seats in Sunday's lower house election.
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Japan's main opposition Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama waves to voters during his official campaign kick-off for the lower house election, in Osaka, western Japan August 18, 2009.[Xinhua] |
The ruling LDP, however, will likely win only about 100 seats, dealing a serious setback to the party that has held nearly uninterrupted control over the government for more than half a century, according to the poll.
(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2009)
