Voters turn against LDP in Yamagata

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
2009/1/27

YAMAGATA--Voters have delivered their first rebuke to the ruling party by narrowly electing opposition-backed independent Mieko Yoshimura in Sunday's gubernatorial election in Yamagata Prefecture.

The electoral contest pitted incumbent Hiroshi Saito--an independent backed by the Liberal Democratic Party--against newcomer Yoshimura, 57, who becomes the nation's sixth female prefectural governor.

The election was seen as a litmus test for the administration headed by Prime Minister Taro Aso as it has not been previously tested at the ballot box.

A late campaign appearance by Ichiro Ozawa, president of the main opposition Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan), effectively turned the election into a prelude to the Lower House election, which must be held by September.

Meanwhile, incumbent Gifu Governor Hajime Furuta, 61, retained his seat in the gubernatorial election also held Sunday.(IHT/Asahi: January 27, 2009)