The ruling Liberal Democratic Party decided at its general council meeting Tuesday that it will elect its next party leader through a joint plenary meeting of LDP Diet members of both houses, instead of a usual vote by party members nationwide.
The new party leader will succeed Shinzo Abe, the current LDP president and prime minister who has announced his resignation.
The LDP's party rules state that "especially in the case of an emergency," the party leader can be elected at the joint plenary meeting in place of the nationwide vote.
At the joint plenary meeting, the LDP's 394 Diet members, excluding the heads of both houses, and 141 other LDP members, made up of three representatives from each of the 47 prefectural chapters, will vote in the leadership election.
Citing the need to minimize the political vacuum created by Abe's resignation announcement, the general council agreed on this voting method.
In deciding who to vote for in the presidential election among prefectural chapters, the general council also confirmed their intention to encourage prefectural chapters to reflect the preference of party members of each prefecture through such means as voting by chapter members.
The formal procedure for electing an LDP leader through voting by party members nationwide consists of votes by current Diet members and an equal number of other party members during a party convention.
In the process of electing the president through the joint plenary meeting, the weight of Diet members' votes is higher than that of other party members. Some mid-ranking and younger Diet members have argued that an election that is open to all party members is necessary. But such a voting method takes time.
Prior to the general council meeting, LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai stated at a press conference on Tuesday morning his intention of electing the new party president through the joint plenary meeting.
"Considering the prime minister's health, it is necessary to decide on a successor as soon as possible," Nikai said.
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