Shūgiin election 1996

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← 19931996 constituencies (300 seats)2000 →
Share of votes in%
 %
40
30th
20th
10
0
38.6
28.0
12.6
10.6
6.5
2.2
1.3
0.3
Independent
Otherwise.
Gains and losses
compared to 1993
 % p
 12
 10
   8th
   6th
   4th
   2
   0
  -2
  -4
  -6
  -8th
-10
-12
-14
+2.0
-1.7
+4.9
+10.6
-0.4
-13.2
-1.3
-0.5
Independent
Otherwise.
Template: election chart / maintenance / notes
Remarks:
Proportional election 1996 (200 seats)
Share of votes in%
 %
40
30th
20th
10
0
32.8
28.0
16.1
13.1
6.4
3.6
Otherwise.
Distribution of seats in 1996
        
A total of 500 seats

The 1996 Shūgiin election was the 41st election to Shūgiin , the Japanese lower house, and took place on October 20, 1996. In January 1996, Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama resigned from the Japanese Socialist Party . His party, which ruled in coalition with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the New Sakigake Party, then renamed itself to the Social Democratic Party. Murayama's successor Ryūtarō Hashimoto from the LDP initially enjoyed high popularity and dissolved the House of Commons on September 27, also to prevent the Democratic Party of Yukio Hatoyama and Naoto Kan from gaining strength . The topics of the election campaign were reforms of the administration, the tax system and in particular a controversial increase in VAT.

For the first time, the electoral reform initiated by the anti-LDP coalition in 1994 was implemented: Instead of SNTV in multi-mandate circles, the composition of the Shūgiin was determined in a trench system of majority voting in individual constituencies and proportional representation (unlike originally planned in eleven regional blocs). In addition, the Shūgiin was reduced from 511 to 500 seats. The turnout was 59.65% for direct elections and 59.62% for proportional representation, making it the lowest in post-war history.

Political party Constituencies Proportional representation Total seats modification
be right proportion of Seats be right proportion of Seats to the last election on the composition before the election
Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) 21,836,096 38.63% 169 18.205.955 32.76% 70 239 +16 +28
Social Democratic Party (SDP) 1,240,649 2.19% 4th 3,547,240 6.38% 11 15th −55 −15
New party sakigake 727.644 1.29% 2 582.093 1.05% 0 2 −11 −7
New Progress Party (NFP) 15.812.325 27.97% 96 15,580,053 28.04% 60 156 +156 −4
Democratic Party (DPJ) 6,001,666 10.62% 17th 8,949,190 16.10% 35 52 +52 ± 0
Communist Party of Japan (CPJ) 7.096.065 12.55% 2 7,268,243 13.08% 24 26th +11 +11
Democratic Reform Association 149.357 0.26% 1 18,844 0.03% 0 1 +1 −1
Independent and other 3,663,917 6.48% 9 1,417,077 2.55% 0 9 -181 −5
total 56,528,421 100% 300 55,569,195 100% 200 500 −11 +7 (18 vacancies)

Effects

The governing coalition of the LDP, SDP and Sakigake was able to expand its majority slightly; however, only the LDP won seats, while the Social Democrats lost half and the Sakigake around two thirds of their seats. Both parties, which had lost MPs to the New Progressive Party in 1994 and to the Democratic Party in 1996, ended government cooperation after the election. Prime Minister Hashimoto formed a minority government, but could rely on the approval of some independents and individual MPs of the New Progressive Party who left the party because of dissatisfaction with the leadership style of party leader Ichirō Ozawa . Hashimoto's new cabinet was the first all-LDP cabinet since 1993.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ CNN, September 24, 1996: Japan's prime minister tries to outflank new party
  2. ↑ Sōmushō : Participation in Shūgiin elections ( Memento of the original from December 31, 2007 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. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.soumu.go.jp
  3. ^ New York Times, November 1, 1996: Japan Premier Did Too Well in Election to Form Solid Coalition