Japan’s main ruling Liberal Democratic Party is planning to hold its leadership election on September 27 to choose a successor to Prime Minister Kishida Fumio.
The LDP convened an election committee on Tuesday and decided to make the official announcement on September 12. This will make the 15-day campaign period the longest since the current system went into effect in 1995.
The party apparently aims to set aside enough time for debates to be held to restore public trust following scandals involving politics and money.
The election is taking place as Kishida’s term as LDP president expires at the end of September.
A total of 734 votes are up for grabs. LDP Diet lawmakers hold 367, while the other half will be decided by rank-and-file members across Japan.
The lawmakers will cast their ballots on September 27, and ballot counting will take place that day.