JAPAN: Vote counting begins for Japan's general election as conservative LDP surges back to power
Record ID:
327869
JAPAN: Vote counting begins for Japan's general election as conservative LDP surges back to power
- Title: JAPAN: Vote counting begins for Japan's general election as conservative LDP surges back to power
- Date: 16th December 2012
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (DECEMBER 16, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE RUNNING INTO COUNTING CENTRE WITH BALLOT BOXES AS THEY ARRIVE BY TAXI FROM LOCAL POLLING STATIONS RUNNERS CARRYING BOXES INTO HALL FOR COUNT RUNNERS PLACING BOXES ON TABLE PEOPLE UNLOCKING BALLOT BOXES PEOPLE OPENING BALLOT BOXES PEOPLE TAKING OUT BALLOTS TO BE COUNTED MORE OF PEOPLE OPENING BALLOT BOXES AND TAKING OUT BALLOTS TO BE COUNTED VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PLACING BALLOTS ON TABLE PEOPLE COUNTING BALLOTS VARIOUS OF PEOPLE COUNTING BALLOTS BALLOTS BEING TAKEN TO MACHINES TO BE COUNTED MACHINE COUNTING BALLOTS
- Embargoed: 31st December 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA1Q5G05W8KKE7WOBWDTJUDWZ2Z
- Story Text: Japan began counting votes on Sunday (December 16) after the polls closed in what exit polls showed showed to be a win for Japan's conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) just three years after a devastating defeat, giving ex-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a chance to push his hawkish security agenda and radical economic recipe.
Polling station closed across Japan at 2000 local time(1300GMT) with ballot boxes then being taken away for counting.
Boxes arrived at one polling station in downtown Tokyo and were rushed from taxis or by foot up stairs by volunteers before being spread out on tables for counting.
Exit polls by television broadcasters showed the LDP winning nearly 300 seats in parliament's powerful 480-member lower house, while its ally, the small New Komeito party, looked set to win about 30 seats.
That would give the two parties the two-thirds majority needed to over-rule parliament's upper house, where no party has a majority and which can block bills, which should help to break a deadlock that has plagued the world's third biggest economy since 2007.
An LDP win will usher in a government committed to a tough stance in a territorial row with China, a pro-nuclear energy policy despite last year's Fukushima disaster and a potentially risky prescription for hyper-easy monetary policy and big fiscal spending to beat deflation and tame a strong yen.
The full official government count results are expected early Monday (December 17) morning. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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