Shigeru Ishiba Transformed by Final Battle with Bowing Head and Changed Attitude
Contradictions Faced by Candidates
Candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election are carrying contradictions.
If they bring up the issue of slush funds in faction parties and explicitly state that severe penalties will be imposed, they may gain public support. However, at the same time, they risk incurring the displeasure of former members of the Abe faction and former Nikai faction who have been penalized, making it difficult to secure votes from members of the Diet. Candidates are troubled over whether to align with the public or Nagata-cho, whether to prioritize ideals or practical benefits.
“There are 39 members who have been penalized for slush fund issues, and among them, 36 belong to the former Abe faction. Of those, 82 members have been identified as having undisclosed amounts, with those under 5 million escaping penalties. This means about 20% of LDP Diet members are involved.
In the first round of voting in the presidential election, votes from Diet members and local votes (collected from party members nationwide and distributed using the D’Hondt method) are equal at 382 votes each. However, if no candidate secures a majority in the first round, a runoff between the first and second place candidates will take place. In the runoff, local votes will decrease to 47, while votes from Diet members will remain unchanged. This means that candidates do not want to alienate members of the Diet.”
Former Economic Security Minister Kobayashi (49) and current Economic Security Minister Takaichi (63) said that “It is not right in terms of governance to overturn a decision made by the party,” choosing support from lawmakers over public popularity regarding the reassignment of lawmakers involved in slush funds. Former Environment Minister Koizumi (43) said, “We will take a tough attitude,” but avoided making a definitive statement with vague language.
In the meantime, former Secretary-General Ishiba (67), despite some inconsistencies, continues to speak candidly and is gathering public support.
