Japan’s ruling party set to lose long-standing majority in major blow to new PM

CNN —

Japan’s longtime ruling party is projected to lose its majority after Sunday’s general election, in what would be a major blow to new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba amid public anger over economic woes and a series of political scandals.

Exit polls Sunday from public broadcaster NHK suggest Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will struggle to reach a majority, raising uncertainty over the make-up of the government of the world’s fourth-largest economy.

If correct, it would mark the first time since 2009 that the LDP has lost its majority in the lower house of the Diet, the national parliament. The LDP, a conservative political machine, has ruled the country almost continuously since the party’s founding in 1955.

Ishiba said voters had delivered a “severe judgement” to his party, NHK reported.

The NHK poll showed the LDP and junior coalition partner Komeito were set to win between 174 and 254 of the 465 seats in the lower house of Japan’s parliament.

A party or coalition needs 233 seats to control the 465-seat House of Representatives. Ahead of the elections, the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito had a stable majority of 279 seats while the LDP alone had 247 – when results are confirmed the LDP could have lost both.

The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) was predicted to win 128 to 191 seats, according to the exit polls.

Ishiba, a former defense minister, called a snap election shortly after winning the party’s leadership contest last month, seeking to reinforce his public mandate.

Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba speaks to the media at the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) headquarters.

The exit polls signal political uncertainty as Ishiba may now struggle to