Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political coalition has won the partial legislative election to the upper house of Parliament, though it failed to secure the number of seats needed to push forward the constitutional reform it was hoping for, according to results released on Monday.

Japanese citizens had voted on Sunday to elect half of the House of Councillors, whose member serve for six-year terms and have fewer legislative functions than members of the House of Representatives, of which Abe is a member.

The result leaves Abe with a clear majority in both houses of Parliament, following a landslide win in the lower house in 2017. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 71 of the 124 seats in the 245-member House of Councillors in the Sunday polls, according to public broadcaster NHK.

However, he failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution — a signature goal for which Abe has set a 2020 deadline.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the voters,” Abe said in a press conference on Monday. “This is a choice about the political stability and chaos. We asked the voters to choose between these two options and many people listened to our speeches on the streets.

“In this election, the constitutional amendment was also a big issue – it will be finally determined by the national referendum,” Abe said, calling the two-thirds requirement “a very tall order”.

“The people of Japan will have a final say on this matter.”

Abe’s goal is to amend the Constitution – which was approved after World War II – to change its pacifist character so that the country’s Self-Defence Forces can play a more active role. The amendment must be approved by both houses and put to a referendum.

He said he wanted to demonstrate his own leadership to be able to discuss the reform and make a draft that can secure two-thirds of the votes between the ruling and opposition legislators.

Voter turnout on Sunday was the second-lowest since the end of World War II, as only 48.8 per cent of the electoral census went to the polls, slightly higher than the record low of 44.52 per cent turnout in the 1995 elections. </s> The Japanese prime minister's political coalition on Monday won the partial legislative elections to the upper house of parliament, though it failed to secure the number of seats needed to push forward the constitutional reform it was hoping for, according to results released Monday.

Japanese citizens had voted Sunday to elect half of the House of Councillors, whose member serve for six-year terms and have fewer legislative functions than members of the House of Representatives, of which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a member. </s> July 22 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a victory Monday as his Liberal Democratic Party took a clear majority of seats in Japan's upper-chamber House of Councillors.

Despite the victory, the party fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to keep a major campaign pledge to amend the Japanese Constitution to clarify its Self-Defense Forces status in Article 9 of its supreme law. Abe said while the party stance has not changed, it's willing to be "flexible."

The vote positions Abe to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister. The Liberal Democratic Party captured 71 seats in Sunday's election and, with its junior partner Komeito, controls 141 seats.

"Although we have provided a basis for debate, which we believe is the best but we want to have flexible discussions without sticking to our proposal," Abe said, dismissing the party's falling short of a two-thirds majority.

"Many said it would be extremely difficult to gain a majority when advocating tax hikes, but we have the public's understanding. This upper house election was not about winning two-thirds of the seats, it was about maintaining stability. We achieved that goal."

Voter turnout for the House of Councillor's election was well below its 2016 election tally. Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said 49 percent of eligible voters participated, compared to 55 percent in 2016. Sunday marked the first time since 1995 that fewer than 50 percent voted in an upper house election. </s> Japan went to polls Sunday to elect about half of the seats of parliament's Upper House in which the prime minister's ruling party hopes to re-validate its wide majority.

Polling stations opened across most of the Japanese archipelago at 8am Sunday and will close at 8pm. </s> President Peter Mutharika who is seeking a second term and is being challenged by his deputy, Saulos Chilima, the leader of biggest opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Lazarus Chakwer were locked in a neck and neck race Tuesday as exit polls showed no clear winner in an election that was branded watershed.

The nearly seven million registered voters went to the polls on Tuesday, casting their votes to elect a president, members of parliament and local government councillors.

Nyasa Times correspondents with help of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) stringers, conducted an exit poll covering Lilongwe, Blantyre, Zomba, Mangochi, Mulanje, Chikwawa, Ntcheu, Kasungu, Mzuzu, Mzimba and Karonga.

Immediately after voters exited the polling stations, they shared why they preferred specific candidates.

Most voters considered development agenda, cost of living, education and unemployment while deciding on who to vote for.

Voters feel unemployment and corruption are key issues the President should address immediately after elections.

An election exit poll is one that is conducted immediately after voters have exited the polling stations with an objective of finding out how the respondents voted but more specifically, understand respondents demographics, voters experience at the polling centre, main reasons why they voted for a particular candidate and understand when they made a decision to vote for their favorite candidates.

President Mutharika is seen – in the Nyasa Times exit polls – to be way head of the Chakwera and Chilima and chances are he will most certainly be given a new mandate to govern.

However, the exit polls are notoriously imprecise, meaning the final results could still swing in either direction.

Malawi’s electoral commission (MEC) has since pledged to deliver a credible results with its chief, Dr. Jane Ansah asking the 6.9 million registered voters to trust that their will will be respected. </s> For new councillors, nothing inspires dread more than getting your head around local government finance.

Many will have started their political careers as local campaigners and will know more than most about council budgets. They know about the trade-offs involved and are familiar with a number of the principles that underpin how councils manage their money.

But the scope and complexity of local government finances, in a world where councils plan, manage and deliver services in increasingly different ways, can take even the well-prepared by surprise.

New members are often likely to find themselves on scrutiny committees. It is through involvement in such committees that new councillors will have their first full-on encounter with the inner workings of their authority’s budget. Tomorrow’s cabinet members and leaders will cut their teeth on this work, and it is never too early for new members to begin developing an awareness of the key issues with the support of officers and their fellow members.

That isn’t to say that we only need to give new members the rundown on financial issues because some of them will one day sit on the cabinet.

There is an increasingly vital role for scrutiny councillors to play across the piece. Cipfa and the Centre for Public Scrutiny, along with the support of the Local Government Association will, in the coming weeks, be publishing a comprehensive guide for councillors on these issues.

However, there are particular steps that the newest councillors can take now that will stand them in good stead for the longer term. Such learning will eventually lead to a mastery of all things local government finance.

With that in mind, here are our top five tips for those new to the business of local democracy in town and county halls around the country, now that local election fever is over:

1.Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. This is perhaps one of the most common things that a new councillor will be afraid of doing. In truth, no question is stupid. But to new members, coming into what can be an unfamiliar and intimidating environment, it may seem so.

2.Get a sense of the current context. How are the council’s finances looking right now? Is there cause for concern? What are the big national and local trends which may influence your financial position in the future? Officers will be able to support this thinking, but councillors, fresh from an intense round of local campaigning, are likely to have immediate insights into the local psyche. How do you make that insight and perspective meaningful? What does it mean for the budget?

3.Don’t get overwhelmed. As your understanding develops, you’ll begin to recognise just how much information is out there. This begs the need to be discriminating. It’s not possible to absorb absolutely everything, so consider what information and data will help you to get to the heart of an issue.

4.Take your time. Demand the time and resources you need to be comfortable in your understanding of these issues. The budget cycle can feel like a steamroller, but the sense shouldn’t be that the process will continue irrespective of the members that may come and go. Councillors need time to understand, to digest, to reflect and consider – in order to play an active role. It’s wholly right to challenge finance officers to reflect on whether the way that they work meets these needs.

5.Don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t underestimate the vital democratic role that you can play in your community. In many councils, the process by which councillors other than the cabinet have an opportunity to review and influence the budget before it is formally agreed, can seem like a limited and perfunctory affair. The budget can appear to emerge, fully formed, from nowhere in the new year. The inscrutability of the process that surrounds this can put members off and give them a sense that there’s nothing constructive they can do. But there is. The period after elections, with the turnover of members and the political resetting of the council’s policy and budget cycle, is the perfect time to think practically about how financial systems and processes can be opened out.

While we’ve pitched these tips for new councillors, they also form the fundamentals for councillors returning to their positions after elections. There is always scope to keep learning, which is why, in the coming weeks, Cipfa and the Centre for Public Scrutiny will launch the Councillor Advisor Service. The aim of this service is not only to improve the financial knowledge of councillors, but to strengthen dialogue and mutual understanding between councillors and officers.

So congratulations to all councillors, both new and returning, following local elections. Take pride in your participation in our democracy and know that we stand ready to support you in the service of your communities.
• Cipfa is running two workshops to help new members understand councils’ financial reporting requirements in London (30 May) and Leeds (5 June).
Japanese citizens head to the polls to elect one half of the members of the country's House of Councillors.