Taro Aso elected president of Japan's ruling LDP
22/9/2008 16:32
Taro Aso, current secretary general of the ruling Liberal democratic Party
(LDP), was elected LDP's party chief in its presidential election today.
Aso,
who served as the foreign minister in Junichiro Koizumi's cabinet as well as in
the subsequent Shinzo Abe's cabinet, won 351, or 66.6 percent, of a total of 527
votes.
According to the LDP election rule, the candidate who secures the
absolute majority of the votes wins the election.
"I will not fail the
expectation of the Japanese people and is determined to make concerted efforts
(with other LDP colleagues)," said Aso, after the results of the election were
read out.
"We will fight resolutely with the Democratic Party of Japan ( DPJ)
in the next general parliamentary election," he said.
"Only after winning the
election could I accomplish my sacred mission," Aso said.
At a special
session of the Diet scheduled for Wednesday, Aso will automatically assume
Japan's premiership, as the LDP commands dominance in the more powerful House of
Representatives, which has the final say in picking Japan's new
leader.
Xinhua
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