Japan MPs re-elect Abe after election landslide

November 01, 2017 14:04

Japan's parliament today formally re-elected Shinzo Abe as prime minister after his party's crushing election victory, setting the 63-year-old on track to become the country's longest-serving premier.

MPs voted by a huge majority to re-install Abe, after his conservative Liberal Democratic Party swept to a two-thirds "super majority" on October 22.

During the campaign Abe had stressed the need for strong leadership to deal with what he called Japan's "twin crises", a belligerent and nuclear-armed North Korea and a shrinking birth rate.

He has also vowed to start a debate on the controversial issue of making changes to Japan's US-imposed post-war constitution to bolster the role of the military in the formally pacifist country.

In the 465-seat lower house, Abe won 312 votes from the conservative ruling bloc.

In the 242-seat upper house, Abe won a majority vote of 151 votes, returning him to the top Japanese political post.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

Maha portfolio: Fadnavis gets Home, Ajit, Shinde get...

Shiv Sena's Dadaji Bhuse is the new school education minister while Uday Samant continues to be the industries minister.

Govt tweaks election rule; why is ECI afraid, asks Cong

Based on the recommendation of the Election Commission (EC), the Union law ministry on Friday amended Rule 93(2)(a) of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1961, to restrict the type of "papers" or documents open to public inspection.

Character assassination: Allu Arjun on stampede row

Hours after Reddy slammed the actor for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds at the theatre, without referring to anyone, the 'Pushpa 2' star refuted the allegations and said it was not a procession or a roadshow.

Trudeau in trouble as ally vows to 'bring him down'

The future of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership appears increasingly uncertain after New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh, a key ally, said he would introduce a motion to topple the minority Liberal...

Ferry passengers planned throwing kids into sea: CISF

A team of CISF marine commandos rescued dozens of passengers from a sinking tourist ferry off the Mumbai coast, preventing panicked parents from throwing their children into the sea. The commandos reached the accident site within minutes...