Japanese vote in parliamentary elections

Tokyo, Jul 10 (Prensa Latina) Millions of Japanese voters are attending the polls to elect the 125 new legislators of the Chamber of Councilors of the Diet (Parliament) for the next six years.

July 10, 2022
08:17

The 46,000 polling stations throughout the country opened at seven in the morning and citizen participation exceeded 6.18 percent three hours later, as reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.

A total of 545 candidates are contesting the available seats in Parliament, of which 74 correspond to electoral districts, 50 to proportional representation, as well as a vacancy in Kanagawa prefecture, belonging to the other 124 ineligible positions this year within the legislative body.

181 women are part of the process (33.2 percent), a historical record, although the proportion remains below the 35 percent target set by the Japanese government for 2025.

Four members of Japan’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community have also applied.

Local polls by the media anticipate the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD), led by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as the big winner of the elections.

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