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Taro Aso, one of the five candidates for Japan's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, addresses a campaign to exposit his political beliefs in downtown Tokyo, capital of Japan, Sept. 11, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) |
Taro Aso, current secretary general of the ruling Liberal democratic Party (LDP), was elected LDP's party chief in its presidential election on Monday.
Aso, who served as the foreign minister in Junichiro Koizumi's cabinet as well as in the subsequent Shinzo Abe's cabinet, won 351,or 66.6 percent, of a total of 527 votes.
According to the LDP election rule, the candidate who secures the absolute majority of the votes wins the election.
"I will not fail the expectation of the Japanese people and is determined to make concerted efforts (with other LDP colleagues),"said Aso, after the results of the election were read out.
"We will fight resolutely with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in the next general parliamentary election," he said.
"Only after winning the election could I accomplish my sacred mission," Aso said.
At a special session of the Diet scheduled for Wednesday, Aso will automatically assume Japan's premiership, as the LDP commands dominance in the more powerful House of Representatives, which has the final say in picking Japan's new leader.
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L - R) Nobuteru Ishihara, Yuriko Koike, Yasuo Fukuda, Taro Aso, Shigeru Ishiba and Kaoru Yosano celebrate Taro Aso who is elected the ruling Liberal democratic Party (LDP)'s chief in Tokyo, capital of Japan, Sept. 22, 2008. [Xinhua Photo] |
(Xinhua News Agency September 22, 2008)
