The voting to elect a president for Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) started Sunday at the party's headquarters in Tokyo, between former Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda and the LDP Secretary General Taro Aso.
As the LDP controls the House of the Representatives, which has the final say in choosing the prime minister, the election practically also decides the successor of the outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who suddenly resigned on Sept. 12.
Local media surveys and tallies showed that the 71-year-old Fukuda is likely to win over former foreign minister Aso. "Today is the day I will be judged by the LDP," Fukuda told reporters in Tokyo on Sunday morning, "In the limited short time, I did what I could."
At the voting, over 380 eligible LDP lawmakers will each cast one ballot, while the 47 prefectural chapters will each give three votes to reflect the choices of rank-and-file members. The candidate who receives over half of the total 528 votes wins. If no one receives more than half of the votes, the lawmakers of the lower and upper houses will vote again to decide a winner.
Abe, under treatment in hospital since his resignation, has cast an absentee ballot Saturday afternoon.
The results of the election is expected to be announced at around 3:00 p.m. local time (0600 GMT).
Source: Xinhua
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