Results of Sunday’s election indicate that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito coalition lost their majority in the lower house of parliament, marking the LDP’s worst electoral performance in years.
In accounting for the election outcome at a press conference on Monday, the prime minister pointed to the “suspicion, mistrust and anger” that stemmed from the slush fund scandal that led to the downfall of Ishiba’s predecessor, according to Al-Jazeera.
Last November, it emerged that funds amounting to millions of dollars raised at events held by various LDP factions, including those of Shinzo Abe and then Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, had been siphoned into secret accounts in violation of political financing laws.
A total of 82 lawmakers in both the upper and lower houses of parliament were reportedly caught up in the scandal.
The scandal, together with plummeting ratings and a stagnant economy, prompted Kishida to resign in August. Ishiba called a snap election in September, looking to shore up support.
Despite the embattled party announcing that it would withdraw support for members linked to the slush fund scandal, reports emerged last week that it had in fact provided funds to chapters headed by those same individuals, sparking a fresh round of public outrage.
The prime minister committed to “enact fundamental reform regarding the issue of money and politics,” according to a BBC report.
The LDP has been in power almost continuously since 1955 and Sunday’s election marks the first time it has lost its parliamentary majority since 2009.
Komeito, LDP’s coalition partner, also performed poorly in the election. The party’s leader, Keiichi Ishii, announced that he would step down after having lost his seat in the lower house.