INTERVIEW: Amari may propose double elections to Abe

February 9, 2019

Tokyo--Japanese ruling party heavyweight Akira Amari has indicated that he may call on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to decide to hold simultaneous elections of both chambers of the Diet, the country's parliament, this summer, depending on tactics of opposition parties.

"At the moment, the prime minister is not considering double elections at all," Amari, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's Election Strategy Committee, said in an interview with Jiji Press.

"But I would have to take the stance of proposing any measure to Prime Minister Abe with the aim of having the LDP achieve an election victory if opposition parties join hands only for the sake of election," Amari said.

A triennial election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, is set to be held this summer. Double elections for the Upper House and the House of Representatives, the all-important lower chamber, would take place if the prime minister, who doubles as LDP president, dissolves the Lower House and set a subsequent general election for the same date as that for the Upper House election.

Amari said that the first goal for the LDP and its coalition partner, Komeito, in the upcoming Upper House election is not losing their combined majority in the chamber. The ruling pair also has a majority of the seats in the Lower House.

"We intend to win a stable majority in the Upper House," Amari said, adding that the LDP and Komeito also aim to take up the post of chair at key committees at the chamber and ensure smooth parliamentary procedures.

In an Upper House election, half of its seats are up for grabs. Each Upper House member has a six-year term. Jiji Press