The prefectural chapters of most Liberal Democratic Party members involved in the recent political funds scandal have applied to the party headquarters for their endorsement as official party candidates for the upcoming House of Representatives election, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba plans to dissolve the lower house Wednesday. As the LDP president, Ishiba will decide who will be endorsed, taking into account the wishes of their home constituencies and other factors.
“It is the party president who has the authority to make the final decision on who receives an endorsement,” Ishiba said Monday, answering a question at a plenary session of the lower house. Regarding LDP lawmakers who failed to properly enter necessary information in their political funds reports, Ishiba said he will decide whether to endorse them “taking into account factors such as whether they have the understanding of their home constituencies.”
The LDP leadership decided Sunday not to give official endorsement to six members who received heavy in-house penalties on April 4 over their involvement in the political funds scandal surrounding party factions. These six include former LDP Diet Affairs Committee Chairperson Tsuyoshi Takagi and former LDP Policy Research Council Chairperson Koichi Hagiuda.
There are 43 other members who did not report certain income in their political fund reports — 37 incumbent lawmakers, three chiefs of lower house electoral district branches who are seeking to run in the upcoming election and three incumbent lawmakers expected to run for proportional representation seats. The LDP will not endorse them if their home constituencies do not apply for their endorsement or if party surveys find the races to be tough. Even if the party endorses them as candidates in single-seat constituencies, they will not be allowed to simultaneously run in proportional representation sections. If some of these members do not receive party endorsement, no other official candidates from within that constituency will be fielded by the party.
The Yomiuri Shimbun surveyed all prefectural chapters where these 43 members belong and found that official endorsements were sought for 41 out of 43 cases. Only Fukui prefectural chapter had yet to decide as of Monday evening. Fukuoka prefectural chapter decided against applying for endorsement only because they failed coordinate a candidate rather than due to any involvement with political funds scandal.
Many local chapters believe that official endorsements from party leadership are likely and therefore have decided apply on behalf of its respective member(s).
Takao Ochi from Tokyo chapter was among those whose application was submitted by his local chapter but he announced on Monday that he would not participate in next lower house election.
“We basically respect requests made by local chapters but we might withhold our official endorsements if we anticipate tough elections ahead,” said a senior LDP official indicating that some lawmakers involved with scandals may still go unendorsed regardless wishes expressed by constituents.
Ishiba is expected announce his list containing names his parties’ endorsed candidates soon after making decision before Wednesday’s deadline.