Okinawa prefectural parliamentary election 2012

The parliamentary elections in 2012 in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa took place on June 10, 2012, the campaign period (election campaign, possibility of early voting, deadline for candidates) had started on June 1. All 48 seats in the prefecture parliament in Naha were eligible for election by non-transferable individual votes in multiple and single- mandate constituencies - in the latter, the non-transferable individual votes are identical to simple majority voting .

Before the election, the prefectural parliament was composed as follows (as of May 2012): LDP 15 mandates, SDP / Network Constitution 8, KPJ 5, Kōmeitō 5, Shadaitō / Yui no Kai 5, Kaikaku no Kai 4, DP 2, Shinsei Club 2, non-attached 1. At the beginning of the election campaign there were a total of 63 candidates, including 15 Liberal Democrats, seven Social Democrats, six Communists, eleven candidates from other parties (DP 3, Kōmeitō 3, Shadaitō 3, NVP 1, Sōzō 1) and 24 independents. In the absence of opposing candidates, five MPs in three constituencies had already been chosen as the election winners. The main topic of the election campaign was the controversial relocation of the US Marine Corps base Futenma in the city of Ginowan . As a yardstick for the election result, it was seen whether the LDP, Kōmeitō and non-party allies, who together support Governor Hirokazu Nakaima's policies, can win an absolute majority.

The turnout reached a new low of 52.5%. "Government politicians" - since the governor is directly elected, he does not have to rely on solid parliamentary support - i.e. LDP, Kōmeitō and related candidates, won an unchanged 21 mandates, the prefecture opposition came to 27 mandates. The DP, which governs at the national level and tries to enforce the restructuring plans of the US military within Okinawa against prefectural politics, fell back to one seat. The majority of the opposition mandates went to left-wing parties: six Social Democrats, five Communists and three Shadaitō MPs sit in the new parliament, plus several non-party members and one member of Sōzō and the NVP.

Web links

• Okinawa Prefecture Election Oversight Commission ( Okinawa-ken bekyo-kanri iinkai ) (Japanese)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Okinawa Prefecture Administration: Elections 2012 ( Memento of the original from June 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Okinawa Prefectural Parliament : Members by parliamentary group (accessed May 15, 2012)
3. ↑ 沖 縄 県 議 選 が 告示 ＝ ６３ 人 出馬 、 普天 間 な ど で 論 戦 . (No longer available online.) In: Jiji Tsūshin . June 1, 2012, archived from the original on March 4, 2016 ; Retrieved June 6, 2012 (Japanese). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ^ Pro-governor bloc fails to gain majority in Okinawa election. In: The Japan Times . June 11, 2012, accessed June 11, 2012 . 
5. ↑ 知事 与 党 、 過半数 届 か ず ＝ 普天 間 県 内 移 設 、 依然 困難 - 沖 縄 県 議 選 . In: Jiji Tsūshin . June 11, 2012, Retrieved June 11, 2012 (Japanese).