The Liberal Democratic Party officially set the schedule Wednesday for its presidential election in which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's successor will be chosen. The election administration commission of the party has decided the election will be officially announced on Sept. 8 and held Sept. 14.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who is gaining widening support, will officially announce his candidacy at a press conference Wednesday evening, according to sources.
LDP Policy Research Council Chairman Fumio Kishida and Former LDP Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba announced their presidential bids Tuesday.
The LDP's 394 Diet members and 141 other party members made up of three representatives from each prefectural chapter will vote at a joint plenary meeting of LDP members of both houses on Sept. 14.
The new LDP president is expected to be appointed prime minister during an extraordinary Diet session to be convened on Sept. 16.
Prior to Suga's announcement of his candidacy, senior members of the Nikai faction and the Ishihara faction separately met with Suga in the Diet on Wednesday morning to convey their support.
"I will do my best for the nation," Suga told them, according to sources.
The Takeshita faction, tied for the second largest in the party, held a meeting Wednesday morning to confirm it will support Suga.
The Hosoda faction, the largest in the LDP, and the Aso faction, joint second largest, have also decided to support Suga.
Besides the Kishida and Ishiba factions, the other five LDP factions are supporting Suga. Including lawmakers who like Suga do not belong to any faction, the chief cabinet secretary has secured about 70% of the vote from LDP Diet members.
Kishida is eager to rally support to him within the party.
"I believe that if people's opinions change, lawmakers will be moved," Kishida told reporters in Tokyo on Wednesday morning. "I will be continuing my efforts."
Ishiba said on Fuji TV on Wednesday morning, "I want to give a clear picture of the options for the future for this country."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
