prime minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga announced this Friday (3) that he would not seek re-election and would step down after a year.
According to party general secretary Toshihiro Nikai, Suga announced his decision during an emergency meeting of Liberal Democratic Party (PLD) leaders.
“Today [sexta-feira], at the executive meeting, chairman [do partido] Suga said he wants to focus his efforts on measures against the coronavirus and will not challenge the election of the party leader.
“Honestly, it surprises me. It’s very regrettable. They did their best, but after careful consideration, they made their decision,” the LDP general secretary said.
The announcement has been made at a time when the approval rating of the government is at its lowest.. A poll conducted in August by the Kyodo news agency found an approval of 31.8 percent.
The government’s handling of the pandemic has affected the image of the government. Japan started its vaccination campaign slowly and late and is now facing a fifth wave of infections.
72-year-old Suga replaces Shinzo Abe Resigned in September 2020 due to health reasons.
The prime minister withdrew from seeking re-election as the leader of the LDP in the September 29 vote, a month before the general election. The party is expected to remain in power after the elections.
