Sangiin election 2001

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← 1998Constituencies 2001 (73 seats)2004 →
Share of votes in%
 %
50
40
30th
20th
10
0
41.0
18.5
10.4
9.9
6.4
5.5
3.5
10.3
Independent
Otherwise.
Gains and losses
compared to 1998
 % p
 12
 10
   8th
   6th
   4th
   2
   0
  -2
  -4
  -6
  -8th
-10
-12
-14
-16
-18
+10.5
+2.3
-17.9
-5.8
+3.1
+3.7
-0.8
+10.3
Independent
Otherwise.
2001 proportional representation (48 seats)
Share of votes in%
 %
40
30th
20th
10
0
38.5
16.4
15.0
7.9
7.7
6.6
7.8
Otherwise.
Gains and losses
compared to 1998
 % p
 14th
 12
 10
   8th
   6th
   4th
   2
   0
  -2
  -4
  -6
  -8th
+13.3
-5.4
+1.2
-6.7
-1.6
-1.2
+1.6
Otherwise.
Distribution of seats after the election

The 2001 Sangiin election , formally the “19th Ordinary election of Sangiin MPs “( Japanese 第 19 回 参議院 議員 通常 選 挙 , dai-jūkyū-kai Sangiin giin tsūjōotenyo ), to the Japanese council house ( Sangiin ) , the upper house (jōin) of the national parliament ( Kokkai ) took place on July 29th 2001 took place. Prime Minister Jun'ichirō Koizumi had only replaced the controversial Yoshirō Mori in April and presented his reform agenda, which had initially triggered a positive “Koizumi effect” on the stock and currency markets. Since some reform projects such as post-privatization, the deregulation of the financial market and the cap on the issuance of government bonds were controversial, especially within the LDP, an election victory was of decisive importance for their realization. Because of his great popularity among the population - he had approval ratings of 80% at times - Koizumi had also set up a commission in June to consider the introduction of direct elections for the prime minister, another initiative that was controversial within the party because it used traditional procedures of the Office allocation and the balance of the LDP factions would have endangered.

In view of the tense economic situation, Koizumi's reforms were also the main topic of the election campaign: while Koizumi mainly wanted to eliminate critics in his own party, the opposition under the leadership of the three party leaders Yukio Hatoyama (DPJ), Ichirō Ozawa (Liberal Party) and Takako Doi (SDP ) tried ) To win over voters by claiming that real reforms will not be possible until Japan has another ruling party. The three parties worked together in the opposition and in some cases also had a common electoral strategy with common candidates in the constituencies.

In 2000, the electoral law for Sangiin was changed: the number of MPs was reduced by five (by two for proportional representation and by one each in Okayama , Kumamoto and Kagoshima ) and the proportional representation was changed so that voters can also name a single candidate and thus be able to influence the selected list candidates (similar to the preferred vote in Austria). The system is called in Japan hikō sokumei boshiki (hireidaihyōsei) ( Japanese 非 拘束 名簿 式 (例 代表 制) , German ("proportional representation) with unlimited lists of names"). The turnout was 56.44% for direct elections and 56.42% (abroad: 29.94%) for proportional representation.

Political party Not an option Constituencies Proportional representation Elected in 2001 Composition according to the choice
be right proportion of Seats be right proportion of Seats
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 47 22,299,825 41.04% 44 21,114,727 38.57% 20th 64 111
Kōmeitō 10 3,468,664 6.38% 5 8,187,804 14.96% 8th 13 23
Conservative Party 4th - 1,275,002 2.33% 1 1 5
Democratic Party (DPJ) 33 10,066,552 18.53% 18th 8,990,524 16.42% 8th 26th 59
Liberal Party 2 3,011,787 5.54% 2 4,227,148 7.72% 4th 6th 8th
Communist Party of Japan (CPJ) 15th 5,362,958 9.87% 1 4,329,210 7.91% 4th 5 20th
Social Democratic Party (SDP) 5 1,874,299 3.45% 0 3,628,635 6.63% 3 3 8th
Other (*) 0 2,595,483 4.78% 0 2,988,440 5.46% 0 0 0
Independent 10 5,658,911 10.41% 3 - 3 13
total 126 54,338,483 100% 73 54,741,495 100% 48 121 247

(*) Assembly of Independents , Dainiin Club , Liberal League , Ishin-Seitō Shimpū (“New Style Restoration Party ”), Women's Party , New Socialist Party , New Freedom and Hope Party

Effects

Prime Minister Koizumi's LDP exceeded expectations and won an absolute majority of the seats available for election. Because of the defeat in the 1998 election , she was still dependent on the coalition partners Kōmeitō and Conservative Party; but Koizumi went strengthened in the upcoming elections for LDP party chairmanship in September . The opposition had found no way to counter Koizumi's popularity and only came up with a new strategy when, with the return of DPJ chairman Naoto Kan in 2002, it gained an equally popular leading figure and new scandals and the unpopular foreign missions of the Japanese self-defense forces in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001 offered her new attack surfaces.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ CNN, June 26, 2006: Japan looks at direct PM elections
  2. ↑ Sōmushō leaflet : The Sangiin election in the 21st century (PDF; 494 kB)