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TOKYO - Japan s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered a stunning setback in three by-elections on Sunday (April 25), in what was Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga s first parliamentary electoral test since taking office in September last year.
The by-elections were held to fill one Lower House seat in Hokkaido and two Upper House seats in Hiroshima and Nagano. All three seats – including the LDP stronghold of Hiroshima that the party had seen as its best bet of victory – were won by candidates supported by the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP).
Political watchers say the polls serve as a bellwether for Mr Suga s political fortunes with two make-or-break elections in the coming months. Mr Suga s tenure as LDP president - and hence Prime Minister - will expire on Sept 30 and rivals may smell blood if his standing as a leader comes into question.
Japan s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) suffered a stunning setback in three by-elections yesterday, in what was Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga s first parliamentary electoral test since taking office in September last year.
The by-elections were held to fill one Lower House seat in Hokkaido and two Upper House seats in Hiroshima and Nagano. All three seats - including the LDP stronghold of Hiroshima that the party had seen as its best bet for victory - were won by candidates supported by the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP).
Voter antagonism comes on the back of a series of bribery scandals, while Cabinet support for Mr Suga has sunk amid a resurgence of Covid-19 cases and his insistence that the Olympic Games will go ahead as planned in less than three months.