If the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) objections to the local elections in Voždovac, the SNS will organize protests. This is according to the Serb Progressive Party (SNS) Vice President Aleksandar VuÄić.
Posts Tagged ‘liberal democratic party’
Parliament continues statute debate
November 25th, 2009 |
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The Serbian parliament wrapped up initial debates of the law for transferring authorities on Tuesday and began debating the Vojvodina statute. The ruling coalition parties and opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) have announced that they would vote in favor of the acts, while all other opposition parties are demanding that the drafts be pulled from parliamentary procedures because they say they would lead to Vojvodina’s secession from Serbia.
Japan to comprehensively review alliance with US: Hatoyama
October 30th, 2009 |
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Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama has reiterated his government will “comprehensively review” the Japan-US alliance but added it will continue to deepen bilateral ties in a “multilayered” way.
“As I have repeatedly said, the Japan-US alliance is the cornerstone of Japan’s foreign policy,” Hatoyama said during a House of Councillors plenary session.
But he said his [...]
Fixed on the past
September 29th, 2009 |
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Japan’s once-formidable Liberal Democrats pick yet another uninspiring leader
ANYONE hoping for a new era of vigorous two-party politics in Japan will be disappointed by the choice of Sadakazu Tanigaki to head the vanquished Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). If anything, the 64-year-old former finance minister is even more mild-mannered than Yukio Hatoyama, the prime minister he is supposed to battle on the parliamentary stage.
Mr Tanigaki won 300 of the 499 votes cast in the LDP’s internal election on Monday September 28th. The election was a chance for the party to show that it intends to rebuild itself after losing power a month ago for only the second time in 54 years. But by picking Mr Tanigaki over younger guns with ambitions to shake up the party’s gerontocracy, the LDP shows that its eyes are still fixed on the past—and has not learned many lessons from defeat. “We need to return to the LDP’s origins—that politics is for the people,” Mr Tanigaki said. …
Manu Bhaskaran: Japan on the brink of change: What does it mean for Southeast Asia?
August 22nd, 2009 |
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On Aug 30, Japanese voters are likely to take the momentous step of ousting the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for most of the past 54 years, and replace it with the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ). How much real change will this mean for Japan and what implications will it have for us in Southeast Asia?
A hollow recovery
August 17th, 2009 |
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Japan’s recession has technically ended but voters are likely to see through the numbers
SUMMERS in Tokyo are renowned for their diabolical heat. But salarymen sweating from Fukuoka to Sapporo might take comfort in economic data released on Monday August 17th showing that Japan’s economy has warmed up a little too. The country, which previously suffered four consecutive quarters of contraction, grew by 0.9% between April and June compared with the previous quarter (or 3.7% at an annualised rate). It follows a massive 11.7% annualised slump in first quarter. The growth means that Japan is no longer technically in recession.
Celebrations will be muted, however. The modest rebound after such a punishing slump is nothing to get excited about, either for the country, or the ruling party, which faces what could be a historic defeat in elections on August 30th. And it is the result of a quirk, due in part to small upticks in production, exports and domestic sales following a year of hefty shortfalls. Moreover, the positive blip will do little to help the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP’s) electoral chances. …
LDP “not saving government”
August 5th, 2009 |
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Opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leader Čedomir Jovanović said that his party has not prevented the collapse of the Serbian government. The ruling coalition has been shaken with disunity over proposed draft changes to the Law on Information.
Promises, promises
August 3rd, 2009 |
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One of the world’s most entrenched political parties faces the fight of its life in Japan
FOR more than half a century the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has ruled Japan, with only a brief hiatus in the early 1990s. But its monopoly on power is likely to end on August 30th. With less than month to go before general elections, it has issued a manifesto focused on bringing Japan’s economy—still the world’s second largest—back to health. But after years of broken promises, voters appear to be unimpressed, according to a poll published on Monday August 3rd by Asahi Shimbun. The newspaper suggests that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is almost twice as popular as the LDP.
The LDP promises to restore Japan to 2% growth by March 2011, create 2m new jobs in three years and boost household disposable income by YEN1m ($10,505) in a decade. The focus on the economy reflects the main anxiety of voters. Unemployment is at the highest level in six years and the spectre of deflation has re-emerged. Not only are consumer prices broadly falling, on Monday the government reported that cash wages fell in June at their fastest pace since 1990. …
China anger at Kadeer Tokyo visit
July 27th, 2009 |
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China’s ambassador to Japan has reacted angrily to a planned visit to Tokyo by exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer.
China holds that Mrs Kadeer was behind an outbreak of ethnic unrest in China’s Xinjiang province earlier in July, in which nearly 200 people died.
Mrs Kadeer, once a businesswoman in China and now leader of the exile group the World Uighur Congress, denies any involvement with the violence.
Chinese ambassador Cui Tiankai called Mrs Kadeer a criminal.
"How would the people of Japan feel if a violent crime occurs in Japan and its mastermind is invited by a third country" Mr Cui was quoted as saying by Kyodo news agency.
He hinted that the visit could harm relations between China and Japan.
"We must prevent important matters that should be worked on together from being disturbed by a criminal or attention to our common interests from being diverted," he said.
Mrs Kadeer is to meet members of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and give a news conference during her five-day visit, beginning on Tuesday.
She was imprisoned in China for six years until 2005 on charges of endangering national security. She now lives in the US.
Xinjiang riots
Nearly 200 people – mostly Han Chinese – died in the clashes between Uighurs and Han Chinese in the western province of Xinjiang, according to Chinese officials. Uighur exiles say hundreds of Uighurs were killed.
The unrest began on 5 July during a protest by Uighurs over a brawl in southern China in late June in which two people were killed.
China’s Uighurs are concentrated in Xinjiang but complain their rights and culture are being overridden by an influx of Han migrants from outside the region.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Aso sorry
July 21st, 2009 |
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By Roland Buerk
BBC News, Tokyo
He put a brave face on it, walking up to the podium and bowing stiffly before he began the news conference.
But even some in his own Liberal Democratic Party fear Japan’s Prime Minister, Taro Aso, is leading them to a historic defeat.
He is asking for more time in power. But he began by saying sorry for past mistakes.
"There might have been some inappropriate comments I made that might have led to the lowering of the support of the people of Japan," he said.
"And within our party, the solidarity was lacking and that might have been because of my lack of leadership. And there might have been Japanese people who were not very comfortable about my leadership, and I would like to take this opportunity to apologise."
Mr Aso, who is known for gaffes that have offended people from doctors to the elderly, was speaking after he dissolved the lower house of Japan’s Diet, or parliament.
He hopes the general election at the end of August will be about the economy, and security.
He insists he can deliver on both.
Rise from the ashes
But the campaign threatens to be more about whether the Liberal Democratic Party’s time is up.
The party has governed Japan for more than half a century, except for a break of less than a year in the early 1990s.
For much of that time the story of Japan was its rise from the ashes of World War II to economic might.
But times have changed.
Japan is now mired in a recession, and that is on top of a decade of stagnation in the 1990s.
"The LDP has nothing to run on, their record is miserable, they’ve done nothing to alleviate the soaring misery index," says Jeff Kingston of Temple University in Tokyo.
Taro Aso is the third prime minister since the popular Junichiro Koizumi stepped down after winning the last election for the lower house in 2005 on a platform of reform.
"The voters gave Koizumi an overwhelming mandate and they didn’t do anything. In the meantime the economy is falling off a cliff and unemployment is soaring," says Jeff Kingston.
Hoping to take power in the next election is Yukio Hatoyama, of the Democratic Party of Japan – like Mr Aso, the heir to a political dynasty.
His grandfather replaced Taro Aso’s grandfather as prime minister in the 1950s.
History could be about to repeat itself.
Mr Hatoyama’s party is promising reforms, including strengthening social welfare and wrestling control of policy-making from what it says is an over mighty bureaucracy.
The DPJ is well ahead in the opinion polls, and perhaps Taro Aso’s greatest hope of surviving in office is if the opposition stumbles before election day.
In May, Ichiro Ozawa stepped down as the leader of the DPJ amid a political fundraising scandal.
His successor – Mr Hatoyama – has already been embarrassed after it emerged some people listed as his donors were dead.
"It would have to be hugely dramatic, something way out of the ordinary to derail the DPJ express," says Jeff Kingston of Temple University.
"The DPJ has a long history of self-inflicted wounds, of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, but it would have to be something truly extraordinary for them to blow it." </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Japan PM apologises for failures
July 21st, 2009 |
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Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso has publicly apologised for what he called his failures and for his ruling party’s string of local election losses.
He spoke hours after dissolving parliament ahead of an early general election scheduled for 30 August.
Opinion polls suggest the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could lose heavily to the opposition Democratic Party (DPJ) in the election.
A DPJ victory would end five decades of almost uninterrupted rule by the LDP.
‘"My shortcomings caused mistrust from the public and I apologise from my heart for this," Mr Aso said to his party’s legislators in a televised speech.
"I reflect humbly on this situation and will fulfil my responsibilities while keeping in mind the people who support the LDP."
He also apologised for a series of LDP defeats in local elections. It was after losing control of the Tokyo assembly two weeks ago that Mr Aso said he was calling an election for 30 August.
Declining support
Earlier on Tuesday, the cabinet gave its formal backing to Mr Aso’s plan to dissolve parliament.
ASO’S KEY MOMENTS- Sept 2008: Confirmed as PM
- Nov 2008: Causes outrage by saying doctors lack common sense
- Nov 2008: Alienates pensioners – a key constituency – by saying they "just eat and drink and make no effort"
- Feb 2009: Economics minister says Japan facing worst economic crisis since WWII
- April 2009: Introduces stimulus package after months of delay
- July 2009: Tokyo election loss – fourth in recent weeks. DPJ has at least 12 percentage point lead in opinion polls
Japan is in a deep recession and correspondents say that at times the prime minister has appeared indecisive.
Last week, Mr Aso survived a no-confidence motion put forward by the opposition in the lower house. But the upper house, which is dominated by the opposition, passed a similar motion.
LDP rebels tried unsuccessfully to remove him before he could dissolve parliament, believing he was leading them to a historic defeat.
Opinion polls published by the Asahi and Mainichi newspapers on Monday suggested that support for Mr Aso had continued to decline since previous surveys last month.
They showed him trailing Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama.
Correspondents say the Democratic Party favours more independence from the US, a greater Japanese contribution to peacekeeping missions and a smaller role for government.
Mr Aso is the fourth prime minister since the party won the last election to the lower house of parliament in 2005.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Japan PM dissolves parliament
July 21st, 2009 |
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Japan’s Prime Minister Taro Aso is due to dissolve the lower house of parliament ahead of polls on 30 August, after gaining official cabinet backing.
Mr Aso called the elections early after his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost control of Tokyo’s municipal assembly.
Opinion polls suggest that the LDP could lose heavily to the opposition Democratic Party in the upcoming vote.
A win for the Democratic Party would end five decades of almost uninterrupted rule by the LDP.
On Tuesday morning, his cabinet gave its formal backing to Mr Aso’s plan, ahead of a parliamentary debate and vote due later in the day.
Japan is in a deep recession and correspondents say that at times the prime minister has appeared indecisive.
Last week, Mr Aso survived a no-confidence motion put forward by the opposition in the lower house. But the upper house, which is dominated by the opposition, passed a similar motion.
Mr Aso’s position had been further weakened after the LDP lost control of Tokyo city council in elections on 12 July.
LDP rebels had sought to remove him before he could dissolve parliament, believing he is leading them to an historic defeat.
Polls published by the Asahi and Mainichi newspapers on Monday suggested that support for Mr Aso had continued to decline since previous surveys last month.
They show him trailing Democratic Party leader Yukio Hatoyama.
Correspondents say the Democratic Party favours more independence from the US, a greater Japanese contribution to peacekeeping missions, and a smaller role for government.
Mr Aso is the fourth prime minister since the party won the last election to the more powerful lower house of parliament in 2005.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Party rebels move on Japanese PM
July 16th, 2009 |
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By Roland Buerk
BBC News, Tokyo
Rebels within Japan’s governing party are making last ditch attempts to remove Prime Minister Taro Aso before he can dissolve parliament on Tuesday.
Local media say a petition has been signed by more than a third of the party’s MPs demanding a meeting.
Under party rules it must be held within seven days.
Mr Aso said he would call an election for 30 August but critics within his party said under his leadership it would be political suicide.
For decades it was a slick, election-winning machine, but now Prime Minister Taro Aso’s decision to call a snap poll has caused chaos in his Liberal Democratic Party.
Members of parliament, including Japan’s finance minister Kaoru Yosano, have signed a petition demanding an urgent party meeting.
Rebels have called openly for Mr Aso to be ousted believing he is leading them to an historic defeat.
The LDP has been in power for almost all the past half century.
It was earlier this week that Prime Minister tried to head off his party critics by letting it be known he would dissolve parliament next Tuesday.
Deeply unpopular, he has been under pressure to step down for months.
Japan is in a deep recession and at times the Prime Minister has appeared indecisive.
Many believe a last minute change of leader would do little to improve the Liberal Democratic Party’s fortunes.
Mr Aso is already the fourth prime minister since the party won the last election to the more powerful lower house of parliament in 2005.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Chaos deepens in Japan’s ruling party before poll
July 15th, 2009 |
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Chaos deepened in Japan’s ruling party ahead of an expected August election, as MPs fearing a crushing defeat continued efforts to ditch unpopular PM Taro Aso. Opinion polls show the main opposition Democratic Party ahead of Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), raising the prospect of an end to more than half a century of almost unbroken rule by the business-friendly conservatives.
Pressure remains on Japanese PM
July 14th, 2009 |
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Japan’s beleaguered Prime Minister Taro Aso has survived a no-confidence motion in the lower house of parliament.
But a non-binding censure motion has been adopted in the opposition-dominated upper house – heaping more pressure on Mr Aso.
Following his party’s loss of control of the Tokyo municipal assembly on Sunday, Mr Aso dissolved parliament and called a general election for August.
Defeat would end the LDP’s almost continuous rule for the past 50 years.
The prime minister is deeply unpopular, and there have been calls from within his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) for Mr Aso to stand down as leader before the poll.
DPJ’s hopes
Japan’s opposition put forward the motions to pile humiliation on Taro Aso, according to the BBC’s correspondent in Tokyo, Roland Buerk.
The leader of the opposition Democratic Party of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, told parliament that the huge sums being spent trying to boost the recession-wracked economy looked like an attempt to buy electoral support.
The lower house of parliament, which is controlled by the LDP, easily voted down the motion of no confidence by 333 to 139.
But a similar motion was passed in the opposition-dominated upper house a few hours later.
Recent newspaper opinion polls have suggested that the DPJ is well-placed to make considerable gains in the August election.
Such polls also put Mr Hatoyama ahead of Mr Aso as the people’s choice for prime minister.
Are you in Japan What is your reaction to Taro Aso’s call for a general election in August Send us your views on the current political situation using the form below.</b
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Japan’s PM Aso calls August vote
July 13th, 2009 |
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Japan’s embattled Prime Minister, Taro Aso, will call a general election for 30 August, says public broadcaster NHK.
The move comes after Mr Aso’s ruling coalition suffered a crucial defeat in local elections in the capital, Tokyo.
The opposition Democratic Party (DJP) won 54 seats to 38 for Mr Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party, ending four decades of dominance in the assembly.
Mr Aso, who has approval ratings of around 20%, had been widely expected to dissolve parliament following the loss. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Taro’s last card
July 13th, 2009 |
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Japan’s beleaguered prime minister calls an election
SINCE becoming Japan’s prime minister last September, Taro Aso has resisted calls to hold an early election. But the clamour from both his own team, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), as well as the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), became too loud to ignore. The LDP suffered a striking defeat in municipal elections in Tokyo on Sunday July 12th and, facing an open revolt from his own party, Mr Aso finally succumbed.
On Monday Mr Aso decided to call an election on August 30th to select members of the lower house of Japan’s Diet (parliament), which he plans to dissolve next week. The decision should quell moves from within the LDP to boot him out. But the decision could result in the ousting of the LDP; the party has governed Japan for more than 50 years. …
Blow to Japan’s PM in Tokyo poll
July 13th, 2009 |
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By Roland Buerk
BBC News, Tokyo
People in Tokyo are preparing to vote in local polls considered a key test of popularity for Prime Minister Taro Aso.
The polls in the capital come ahead of a general election which must be held by October.
Taro Aso, whose Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has governed for almost all the past half-century, has approval hovering around 20%.
The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is hoping to break the LDP’s grip on power.
Voters are deciding who will sit on Tokyo’s metropolitan assembly, but the stakes could be higher than that for Mr Aso.
If his LDP does badly, moves to oust him from the leadership could intensify.
In the run up to the vote in Tokyo candidates, wearing white gloves and sashes, toured the streets in vans using loudspeakers to campaign.
But many voters appeared largely indifferent.
Some candidates resorted to making speeches in front of deserted city car parks, their words echoing off the surrounding apartment blocks.
The LDP has governed Japan for the past half century, except for a break of less than a year in the 1990s.
But Mr Aso, who is the fourth prime minister since the last election to the more powerful lower house in 2005, has dismal approval ratings.
The opposition DPJ hopes to take power in the next general election, which must be held by October.
It is promising to break the grip of the bureaucracy on policy making, and increase social welfare measures.
But the opposition’s support has been eroded by fund raising scandals.</p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.