Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Former foreign minister Japan, Fumio Kishida, won the election for chairman of the ruling party, the Liberal Democrats (LDP), on Wednesday (29/9).
This victory almost ensured Kishida became Japan’s new prime minister replacing Yoshihide Suga.
In his speech after the LDP presidential election, Kishida promised to transform his party and hold general elections in the next few weeks.
Kishida also promised to continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic which has damaged the Japanese economy.
“The LDP leadership election is over. Let’s all face the lower house and upper house elections as one unit,” Kishida was quoted as saying. AFP.
“The national crisis continues. We must continue to work hard in containing the corona virus with strong determination, and we need to draw up a stimulus package of tens of trillions of yen by the end of this year,” he added.
Kishida defeated Japan’s former defense minister, Taro Kono, in the second round of today’s LDP election. Two female competitors, Sanae Takaichi and Seiko Noda, left after losing votes in the first round of the election.
Prior to the election, Kono had been predicted as a strong candidate for the LDP chairman and prime minister.
However, the final result of the second round showed that Kishida, a 64-year-old politician known for his gentle nature, won 257 votes. Meanwhile, Kono only won 170 votes.
The election for the head of the LDP party was carried out after PM Suga said he would not run for a second term.
Suga’s successor in the LDP chair is almost certain to become Japan’s prime minister because the party has a majority of votes in the lower house of parliament.
Kishida will be confirmed as Japan’s new prime minister in a vote in parliament on October 4. He will then lead the LDP in the mandatory general elections in November.
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