25 Pct of Nonpartisan Voters Back LDP in Proportional Representation: Exit Poll

Tokyo, Feb. 9 (Jiji Press)–A Jiji Press exit poll for Sunday’s House of Representatives election found that 25.0 pct of voters who do not back a particular party cast their proportional representation ballots for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. The Centrist Reform Alliance gained the second-most proportional representation votes with 18.2 pct, followed by the Democratic Party for the People with 13.9 pct and Team Mirai with 11.4 pct. It was the first national election since the 2022 House of Councillors election that the LDP was the most popular party among nonpartisan voters. The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan was most popular in the previous 2024 Lower House election, while the DPFP was most popular in last year’s Upper House election. The strong popularity of LDP President and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is believed to be behind the surge in support for the ruling party. Voters who do not support a particular party comprised 19.8 pct of all respondents in the exit poll. The junior ruling force Japan Innovation Party received the proportional representation ballots of 8.5 pct of nonpartisan voters, followed by Sanseito with 6.4 pct, the Japanese Communist Party with 4.6 pct, Reiwa Shinsengumi with 3.4 pct, the Conservative Party of Japan with 2.9 pct, the Social Democratic Party with 1.8 pct, and the Tax Cuts Japan & Patriotic Alliance with 1.5 pct. The exit poll also showed that 83.2 pct of LDP supporters, who made up 36.6 pct of all respondents, voted for the main ruling party. While 4.2 pct of LDP backers voted for Sanseito in last year’s Upper House poll, only 2.0 pct did so in the latest race. Meanwhile, 91.6 pct of supporters of the Centrist Reform Alliance, who made up 10.4 pct of the total, voted for the party. The LDP led in proportional representation votes among nonpartisan voters across all age brackets, gaining 43.4 pct of ballots cast by 18- to 19-year-olds. It also gained the most constituency ballots among nonpartisan voters, at 39.5 pct, followed by the centrists with 25.2 pct, the DPFP with 10.1 pct, Sanseito with 6.4 pct and the JIP with 6.0 pct. Of Centrist Reform Alliance backers, 8.6 pct cast their constituency votes for the LDP. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]