On Sunday, Japan is holding a snap general election for lawmakers in the House of Representatives. Voters’ choice may end years of ruling party dominance and lead to a power-sharing agreement.
There are more than 45,000 polling stations across the country where more than 105 million eligible voters can cast their ballots. More than 1,300 candidates are vying for seats, including a record 314 women.
Each voter casts two ballots: one to choose a candidate in a single-member district and one to choose a party for proportional representation. Japan has 289 single-member districts and 11 blocks of proportional representation. A party or coalition would need 233 seats to form a government with a simple majority.
The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has ruled Japan for most of the time since 1955, but this time is likely to face a strong challenge from the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ), which had 98 seats, could end up with as many as 140. It previously toppled the LDP in 2009.
The general election adds uncertainty to a turbulent regional environment as the Tokyo government faces rising tensions with neighbouring China and inflation puts pressure on Japanese households.
