Abe Seen Gaining Two-Thirds of LDP Regional Votes: Jiji Survey

September 9, 2018

Tokyo- A Jiji Press survey has found that Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe is likely to gain two-thirds of the regional votes in his party's Sept. 20 leadership election.

Prime Minister Abe, who seeks a third consecutive term as head of the ruling party, is also believed to have secured support from 80 pct of the LDP's national lawmakers.

His only contender, Shigeru Ishiba, former LDP secretary-general, is trying to increase regional votes from nonlawmaker party members and supporters. But he is fighting an uphill battle.

The survey was conducted in late August with senior officials of the party's prefectural chapters. They were asked to give estimates on the support rates for both candidates. The LDP lawmakers were separately surveyed.

Abe and Ishiba will vie for a total of 810 votes--405 votes from national lawmakers and the same number of regional votes to be calculated based on ballots cast by other party members and supporters.

According to the regional survey, 66 pct of the LDP's nonlawmaker members and supporters back Abe, which are translated into 266 regional votes.

Abe leads in 27 prefectures including Hokkaido, Saitama and Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Ishiba is supported by 34 pct, or 139 regional votes. He exceeds Abe in the three prefectures of Yamagata, Ibaraki and Tottori, which is his home turf.

In the survey, unclear or no answers were given by 16 of the 47 prefectural chapters.

Abe has secured support from 341 LDP lawmakers, or 84 pct of the total, while 50 lawmakers back Ishiba.

But Shinjiro Koizumi, the popular chief deputy secretary-general, remains silent on whom to support. In addition, some LDP members are said to be in the anti-Abe camp though they do not profess themselves to be so.

Asked whom they personally support, 23 senior officials of prefectural chapters named Abe, while five expressed support for Ishiba. Jiji Press