Da Asahi Shimbun del 12/09/2005
Originale su http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200509120188.html
LDP obtains 296 Lower House seats for first majority in 15 years
The Liberal Democratic Party clinched 296 seats in Sunday's Lower House election, giving the ruling party its first majority in the Diet chamber in 15 years.
The LDP's gains of 47 seats from last month, when the Diet chamber was dissolved, combined with the 31 seats won by New Komeito, give the ruling coalition 327, more than two-thirds of the 480 seats of the Lower House.
That overwhelming strength means that the ruling parties can pass Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization bills in the Diet even if they are rejected in the Upper House.
Koizumi plans to re-submit the postal privatization bills to a special Diet session expected to convene on Sept. 21. Koizumi is expected to be confirmed as prime minister during that session.
The Diet will likely pass the proposed legislation by the end of October.
The LDP's 296 seats in the Lower House are the party's second most, following 300 in 1986, when simultaneous elections of the Lower House and the Upper House were held under then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. At that time, there were 512 seats in the Lower House.
The party extended Nakasone's term as LDP president by one year following that landslide victory.
After the LDP's victory became certain Sunday night, Koizumi said he would not seek an extension of his term, although ruling coalition lawmakers have increased their calls for him to stay on.
"My term is until the end of September next year. I will not serve after that," Koizumi said.As for amendments to the Constitution, Koizumi said, "They cannot be done only in my one year (as the LDP president)."
He also repeated that he will not raise the consumption tax rate while he is LDP president.
Koizumi's main concern is gaining approval for his pet project of privatizing the postal privatization bills. The Upper House rejected those bills last month, prompting Koizumi to dissolve the Lower House and call the snap election.
Under the Constitution, bills that pass the Lower House but are rejected in the Upper House can still pass the Diet if at least two-thirds of the Lower House members voted in favor of the bills.
But that measure will likely be unnecessary.
The Upper House is expected to pass the postal bills in the special Diet session. A growing number of LDP members of the chamber who voted against the bills last month will likely change their stance in light of the LDP's huge victory Sunday.
After the Diet passes the bills, Koizumi plans to implement a full-scale reshuffle for his third Cabinet. Most of the Cabinet members will be those from his second administration, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosada said.
The LDP's gains of 47 seats from last month, when the Diet chamber was dissolved, combined with the 31 seats won by New Komeito, give the ruling coalition 327, more than two-thirds of the 480 seats of the Lower House.
That overwhelming strength means that the ruling parties can pass Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization bills in the Diet even if they are rejected in the Upper House.
Koizumi plans to re-submit the postal privatization bills to a special Diet session expected to convene on Sept. 21. Koizumi is expected to be confirmed as prime minister during that session.
The Diet will likely pass the proposed legislation by the end of October.
The LDP's 296 seats in the Lower House are the party's second most, following 300 in 1986, when simultaneous elections of the Lower House and the Upper House were held under then Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. At that time, there were 512 seats in the Lower House.
The party extended Nakasone's term as LDP president by one year following that landslide victory.
After the LDP's victory became certain Sunday night, Koizumi said he would not seek an extension of his term, although ruling coalition lawmakers have increased their calls for him to stay on.
"My term is until the end of September next year. I will not serve after that," Koizumi said.As for amendments to the Constitution, Koizumi said, "They cannot be done only in my one year (as the LDP president)."
He also repeated that he will not raise the consumption tax rate while he is LDP president.
Koizumi's main concern is gaining approval for his pet project of privatizing the postal privatization bills. The Upper House rejected those bills last month, prompting Koizumi to dissolve the Lower House and call the snap election.
Under the Constitution, bills that pass the Lower House but are rejected in the Upper House can still pass the Diet if at least two-thirds of the Lower House members voted in favor of the bills.
But that measure will likely be unnecessary.
The Upper House is expected to pass the postal bills in the special Diet session. A growing number of LDP members of the chamber who voted against the bills last month will likely change their stance in light of the LDP's huge victory Sunday.
After the Diet passes the bills, Koizumi plans to implement a full-scale reshuffle for his third Cabinet. Most of the Cabinet members will be those from his second administration, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosada said.
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