Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held its 21st
presidential election on Wednesday afternoon at its headquarters in
Tokyo to select a successor to the incumbent party chief and Prime
Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
403 LDP lawmakers, each of whom has one ballot, began voting
from 2 p.m. local time. Another 300 votes, which were shared by the
party's 1.06 million rank-and-file members and have been posted to
the election committee from the party's 47 prefectural chapters,
will be counted into the final results.
The headquarters planned to announce a winner shortly later.
Among the three candidates, Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe
is almost certain to win at least 352 votes or simple majority of
ballots and beat Finance Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki and Foreign
Minister Taro Aso.
Recent polls showed that Abe enjoyed a comfortable lead among
the three candidates. He not only has secured support of over 70
percent of fellow LDP lawmakers who will vote in the election, but
also have the advantage in 36 local LDP organizations.
"If I can get as much support as possible, I will be able to
form a strong Cabinet," Abe was quoted by Kyodo as telling
reporters in front of his home on Wednesday morning.
Winner of the race will get a three-year term as LDP president
and naturally succeed Koizumi as Japan's next prime minister
because the ruling bloc, made up of the LDP and its coalition
partner New Komeito party, holds a majority in the lower house,
which controls the final say in selecting the premier.
The LDP and opposition parties have agreed to appointed the
winner as Koizumi's successor in an extra Diet session on Sept.
26.
(Xinhua News Agency September 20, 2006)
