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▼ Renho Elected Democratic Party Chief
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The Democratic Party on Thursday elected acting party chief Renho as its new president with the majority support of its rank and file, making her the first woman to lead the DP.
Renho’s three-year term will last through September 2019.
Under her leadership, the major opposition party now faces the task of rebuilding its apparatus after a major defeat in this summer’s House of Councillors election.
“I firmly accept the grave responsibility to lead [the DP] and rebuild it into a party that people will vote for,” Renho, 48, said in a speech after the presidential ballot. She added that the DP should become “a party that can confront the enormous ruling party by making proposals in a stately manner rather than by just criticizing.”
However, it remains unclear how the new party chief intends to achieve her goals. At a press conference later in the day, Renho said that she does not yet have any ideas as to who should be included in the new DP leadership.
The winner of the presidential ballot, held during the DP’s extraordinary party convention in Tokyo, was decided by the number of points the candidates won based on the votes they gained from Diet members, registered party members and supporters, and local assembly members. Of the 849-point total, Renho won 503 points, which gave her majority support.
Renho’s three-year term will last through September 2019.
Under her leadership, the major opposition party now faces the task of rebuilding its apparatus after a major defeat in this summer’s House of Councillors election.
“I firmly accept the grave responsibility to lead [the DP] and rebuild it into a party that people will vote for,” Renho, 48, said in a speech after the presidential ballot. She added that the DP should become “a party that can confront the enormous ruling party by making proposals in a stately manner rather than by just criticizing.”
However, it remains unclear how the new party chief intends to achieve her goals. At a press conference later in the day, Renho said that she does not yet have any ideas as to who should be included in the new DP leadership.
The winner of the presidential ballot, held during the DP’s extraordinary party convention in Tokyo, was decided by the number of points the candidates won based on the votes they gained from Diet members, registered party members and supporters, and local assembly members. Of the 849-point total, Renho won 503 points, which gave her majority support.
Two other candidates — former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara and current House of Representatives member Yuichiro Tamaki — both aimed to prevent Renho, who was deemed the leading contender, from winning a majority. This would have meant a run-off, but ultimately they finished far behind.
Renho announced her bid for the party presidency in early August after outgoing party chief Katsuya Okada announced at the end of July that he would not seek another term.
Okada gave his support to Renho in the presidential election.
Born to a father from Taiwan and a Japanese mother, Renho ran into trouble recently when her dual citizenship came to light. Despite her saying she had relinquished her Taiwan citizenship, it was discovered that she still held it.
This became a source of controversy, as the Japanese government does not allow dual citizenship, although there is no provision excluding people with a foreign nationality from becoming a Diet member. However, this situation did not prevent party members from giving her the top post.
Renho announced her bid for the party presidency in early August after outgoing party chief Katsuya Okada announced at the end of July that he would not seek another term.
Okada gave his support to Renho in the presidential election.
Born to a father from Taiwan and a Japanese mother, Renho ran into trouble recently when her dual citizenship came to light. Despite her saying she had relinquished her Taiwan citizenship, it was discovered that she still held it.
This became a source of controversy, as the Japanese government does not allow dual citizenship, although there is no provision excluding people with a foreign nationality from becoming a Diet member. However, this situation did not prevent party members from giving her the top post.
- September 16, 2016
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