Yoshihide Suga, secretary general of the Japanese government and close ally of outgoing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was very comfortably elected, Monday, September 14, to the leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) and is preparing to take the head of the executive .

At 71, Suga won 377 votes, well ahead of former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida (89 votes) and former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba (68 votes).

The 394 deputies of the PLD as well as 141 leaders of the local sections of the party were called upon to decide between the three men.

The vote for the succession of Shinzo Abe, who announced his resignation at the end of August for health reasons, is scheduled for Wednesday in the House of Representatives.

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With his large victory in the internal primary in the PLD, and taking into account parliamentary arithmetic, nothing seems to be able to oppose Suga's accession to the head of government.

It will then be up to him to go to the end of his predecessor's mandate at the head of the PLD, in September 2021.

Economic growth before the recovery of public finances

"We must unite under the flag of the PLD and move Japan forward," he said on Monday after the announcement of his victory, expressing his desire to form a government that serves as a "shield of protection" for the Japanese. .

During a debate last week against his two rivals, Yoshihide Suga pledged to stay the course of Shinzo Abe's economic policy, the famous "Abenomics", prioritizing economic growth over the recovery of public finances.

“A strong economy is necessary for social protection, national security and fiscal reform,” he said.

"We need to get the economy going first, because only then can we implement fiscal reforms."

Upon his arrival at the head of government, Suga, secretary general of the Abe government since 2012, will have to continue on the path of the public authorities' response to the health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus, which has been added to the structural problems. of Japan - birth rate at half mast, aging of the population.

Suga, little versed in diplomacy, will also have to manage China's maritime ambitions and build a relationship with the future tenant of the White House, whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden, the Democratic opponent of the outgoing president in the election presidential election of 3 November.

With Reuters

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