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Election system for the 2024 Japanese election: Do you know how parallel voting works?
On October 27, 2024, Japan held a historic general election, which was held because Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba dissolved the lower house early. The election not only marks the inauguration of a new leader, but also reveals the fragility of Japan's current political situation. In this election, the 465 members of the House of Representatives were selected in a different way than in the past, using a parallel voting system. How does this system work exactly?
Parallel voting is a system that divides the election into two parts. Under this system, candidates may run in both single-member district elections and proportional representation elections.
Election Background
Former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has been under pressure from a series of political crises since the 2019 election. During this period, he had to deal with a lot of negative press, including his links with the Unification Church and corruption scandals within his party. After several cabinet reshuffles, Kishida finally announced his resignation in August 2024, paving the way for the new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to take office. As the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Ishiba is seen as a breakthrough.
How Parallel Voting Works
In the 2024 general election, 465 seats are elected in two ways: 289 single-member constituencies use the traditional single-vote system, while 176 seats use the proportional representation system. Such a system design gives candidates more choices to a certain extent.
The number of votes a candidate can get in a single-member district affects their chances of being elected, as does the number of votes they receive in a proportional representation system. This also means that voters have more flexibility in choosing the candidates they support and can, to some extent, avoid the restrictions on choice caused by a single voting system.
Major political parties and candidates
As the election date approaches, the political parties quickly engage in fierce competition. The Liberal Democratic Party and the Constitutional Democratic Party compete for voters, especially the appeal of young voters. The report pointed out that 314 female candidates participated in this election, a record high number, showing that the importance of gender equality is gradually increasing.
Election Impact
The voting results mean the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito lost its significant parliamentary majority for the first time since 2009. Voter resistance to the government is growing, with many expressing dissatisfaction with political corruption in this election. According to post-election surveys, the focus on the LDP's corruption scandal became one of the important factors affecting voters' voting intentions.
Voting Results and Future Outlook
Although the Liberal Democratic Party became the largest party in this election, it could no longer obtain more than 200 seats, which created obstacles to its future policy promotion. Their defeat forced the party to begin rethinking its future direction. Although Ishiba Shigeru has been given the opportunity to serve as prime minister again, his governance remains full of challenges as he faces the lingering shadow of corruption.
The election results reflect a significant shift in public opinion, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will need to adjust policies to better meet voters' expectations.
This election is memorable in Japanese history, especially can the introduction of parallel voting improve the functioning of the political system? What will future elections look like?
