Tokyo, Sep 25 (Xinhua) Yasuo Fukuda, newly elected president of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), was Tuesday elected prime minister by the country’s parliament.
In the vote casting held at the House of Representatives, or lower house of the Diet, Fukuda won 338 votes out of the total of 476 valid ballots. Ichiro Ozawa, leader of the Democratic Party of Japan, the main opposition party, got 117 ballots.
Ozawa was elected prime minister shortly after by the House of Councillors since the opposition bloc enjoys the majority there. He obtained 133 votes out of the 239 valid ballots in the second round of voting. The upper house’s first round of voting failed to give a result because no one gained more than half of the ballots.
The decision of the upper house is actually futile when it contradicts that of the lower house.
Procedurally, a joint committee for negotiation will be organised between the two houses for a unanimous choice. Under the Japanese constitution, if the coordination fails, the lower house’s decision will prevail to be that of the Diet.
Such a coordination meeting for the appointment of a premier hasn’t been called for nine years. The ruling LDP had been controlling both houses of the Diet as of July, when it suffered a crushing defeat in the upper house election and lost the majority to the opposition bloc.
Fukuda was assured of the premier’s post as he was elected LDP president Sunday since the ruling party still controls the majority in the lower house.
Fukuda will form his cabinet later in the day and lead the cabinet members to attend an attestation ceremony at the Imperial Palace.
The previous premier Shinzo Abe and his cabinet ministers resigned en masse as scheduled in the morning.