Tokyo, pre-election polls still give victory to Liberal Democrats

Premier Fumio Kishida's party should have no problem keeping at least 233 of the 465 seats needed to have a majority in the House of Representatives. Thirty percent of respondents are still undecided.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will have no difficulty  retaining a majority in the House of Representatives in the Oct. 31 general election, reports a Kyodo News poll published today. According to the forecast, the GOP should be able to easily win at least 233 out of 465 seats. 

The Liberal Democrats are ahead of the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) in 190 out of 289 uninominal districts; they are also expected to win in the proportional representation, according to which 176 seats are allocated on the basis of votes obtained in 11 regional constituencies. 

Kyodo News surveyed 174 thousand voters over the past two days, just after the campaign began. Almost 30% of respondents said they were still undecided on who to vote for in single-member districts: the situation could therefore change considerably as the election approaches. 

The DCP, the main opposition party, is ahead in 50 uninominal districts and competitive in another 40 thanks to its alliance with the Japanese Communist Party, but at the moment it seems difficult for it to maintain all 110 seats it had before the elections. At the moment, the Democrats are the most popular choice among voters not affiliated with any party. 

Komeito, the GOP's coalition party, should be able to keep the 29 seats it has had so far thanks to support from Buddhists. 

Premier Fumio Kishida has said he will claim victory if Pld and Komeito can achieve a combined majority or at least 233 seats-a low level considering the party held 305 seats before the dissolution of the lower house.

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