Tokyo, July 22: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has on Monday declared victory in the nation’s national elections with ballot counts reflecting his party’s victory with a majority of seats in the parliament’s upper house, is now all set to become the nation’s longest-serving prime minister.
In the 245-member House of Councillors, Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) declared victory over 71 seats out of 124 seats, as per reports of public-broadcaster NHK, failing to declare supermajority in order to fulfil his longstanding goal of shifting the nation’s pacifist constitution.
According to CNN news reports, the main opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) has declared victory over 53 seats.
Addressing a media conference on Monday afternoon, the prime minister said: “I would like to express my gratitude to the voters. This is a choice about political stability and chaos. We asked the voters to choose between these two options and many people listened to our speeches on the streets.
Abe spread out an assortment of difficulties his gathering plans to handle during the following term, including government disability changes, free training, fortifying the economy, and tending to the maturing populace and contracting workforce.
Sunday’s outcome leaves Abe with a reasonable lion’s share in the two places of Parliament, following an avalanche win in the lower house in 2017. Notwithstanding, Abe neglected to accomplish the 66% greater part expected to alter the constitution – a mark objective for which Abe has set a 2020 due date.
Describing the two-thirds need “a very tall order”, Abe said, “In this election, the constitutional amendment was also a big issue — it will be finally determined by the national referendum,” further adding, The people of Japan will have a final say on this matter.”
He included that the LDP has just drafted an alteration proposition, however, that they will seek after further discourse to win support from the resistance groups.