2015 Democratic Party (Japan, 1998) leadership election
The 18th Democratic Party of Japan presidential election was held on January 18, 2015.[1] The election was held to replace outgoing president Banri Kaieda who resigned after losing his seat in the December 2014 general election. Acting president Katsuya Okada won the election after two rounds of voting, returning to the position he held from 2004 until 2005.[2][3]
 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Candidates
3 candidates ran in the leadership election:
- Goshi Hosono, former secretary general of the DPJ.[1]
- Katsuya Okada, ex-party president (2004–05) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2009–10).[4]
- Akira Nagatsuma, former health, labor and welfare minister.[5]
Results
1st round
| Candidates | Total points | Caucus | Endorsed candidates | Local councillors | Party members & supporters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goshi Hosono | 298pts (39.21%) | 48 (96pts) | 0 | 649 (63pts) | 41,563 (139pts) |
| Katsuya Okada | 294pts (38.68%) | 47 (94pts) | 1 (1pt) | 532 (51pts) | 41,079 (148pts) |
| Akira Nagatsuma | 168pts (22.11%) | 37 (74pts) | 0 | 284 (27pts) | 21,348 (67pts) |
| Invalid votes | - | 0 | 0 | 2 | 523 |
| Total | 760pts (100%) | 132 (264pts) | 1 (1pt) | 1,467 (141pts) | 104,513 (354pts) |
This is the first time that the local councillors and members votes outweigh the caucus votes in a DPJ presidential election. In order to win, a candidate must obtain more than 50% of the points. Each caucus (consisting of DPJ Diet members) member vote carry 2 points. A prospective candidate for the 2016 House of Councillors election was also allowed to vote, with his vote carrying 1 point. Local and regional DPJ councillors altogether carried 141 points, while rank-and-file supporters and members accounted for 354 votes or almost a half of total 760 points. Turnout among supporters and members was recorded at 46.21% and 90.06% of councillors participated in the voting.
As no candidates obtained a majority in the 1st round, the election headed to a runoff between the top two candidates, Hosono and Okada.
2nd round
| Candidates | Total points | Caucus | Endorsed candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katsuya Okada | 133pt (52.57%) | 66 (132pt) | 1 (1pt) |
| Goshi Hosono | 120pt (47.43%) | 60 (120pt) | 0 |
| Abstentions | - | 4 | 0 |
| Invalid votes | - | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 253pts (100%) | 132 (252pts) | 1 (1pt) |
In the runoff, only the caucus and the prospective 2016 candidate were voting.
Katsuya Okada garnered 133 points in the 2nd round, winning the election.[2]
References
- The Japan Times, December 17, 2014: Former secretary-general Hosono to run for DPJ leader
- The Japan Times, January 18, 2015: Okada defeats Hosono to win DPJ presidential election
- The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun), January 18, 2015: Okada takes DPJ presidency in runoff
- The Japan Times, January 7, 2015: Former leader Okada to seek DPJ’s presidency again
- The Japan Times, December 25, 2014: DPJ leadership campaign begins, with three candidates running
- ２０１５年１月民主党代表選挙の結果に関する公告 - 民主党 およびページ内資料 代表選挙党員・サポーター郵便投票開票結果 （2015年1月18日）2015年1月20日閲覧
- The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun), January 19, 2015: DPJ’s Okada anticipated need for support in runoff
External links
- Democratic Party: Past elections for the party presidency
- The Senkyo, election dictionary: Democratic Party presidential elections