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On December 24, during a special Diet session, President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) Shinzo Abe was elected as the 97th Prime Minister of Japan. DPJ Acting President Katsuya Okada finished in second place in both houses. (It was due to President Kaieda lost his Diet seat.) The main results of the election were as follows:
House of Representatives (Total: 470 ballots)
Shinzo ABE; 328
Katsuya OKADA; 73
Kenji EDA; 41
Others; 28
House of Councillors (Total: 240 ballots)
Shinzo ABE; 135
Katsuya OKADA; 61
Kenji EDA; 11
Others; 33
LDP Diet member Nobutaka Machimura was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives and DPJ Diet member Tatsuo Kawabata as Vice Speaker. During his inauguration, Kawabata stated, “I assume truly heavy responsibilities, acting fairly and wholeheartedly. Speaker and I will make utmost efforts to steer the House harmoniously.” As is customary, the Speaker and Vice Speaker will act as an independent body from their respective caucuses.
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