ID :
14624
Sat, 08/02/2008 - 09:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14624
The shortlink copeid
Ex-Foreign Minister Aso appointed as LDP secretary general
TOKYO, Aug. 2 Kyodo - Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, who doubles as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, appointed former Foreign Minister Taro Aso as LDP secretary general on Friday as he revamped his party leadership prior to a Cabinet reshuffle.
The appointment of Aso to the party's second-in-command reflects Fukuda's hope to take advantage of Aso's image to boost his party's popularity ahead of thenext House of Representatives election which will decide whether the LDP will remain in power.
As for other key party posts, Fukuda retained Makoto Koga as chairman of the Election Strategy Council, while naming former education minister Kosuke Hori as chairman of the Policy Research Council, and Takashi Sasagawa, lower housesteering committee chief, as the General Council chairman.
Earlier in the day, Fukuda, who has seen his support ratings fall since taking office in September, asked Aso to return to the post by replacing Bunmei Ibuki,an offer which Aso accepted.
Aso, regarded as a frontrunner to succeed Fukuda and known for his popularity among the younger generation as a manga comic book enthusiast, served in thesame post under Shinzo Abe, Fukuda's predecessor.
But he was in the post only for around a month because Abe abruptly resigned inSeptember last year.
The replacement of the secretary general also comes amid voices inside theparty which have questioned Ibuki's coordination capability.
Winning the next general election is crucial for the ruling coalition of the LDP and the New Komeito party, which have yielded control of the House ofCouncillors to the opposition parties after last year's election.
No general election needs to be held until the lower house's current four-year term ends in September 2009, but an election can be held earlier because the prime minister has the right to dissolve the lower house to call for anelection.
==Kyodo
The appointment of Aso to the party's second-in-command reflects Fukuda's hope to take advantage of Aso's image to boost his party's popularity ahead of thenext House of Representatives election which will decide whether the LDP will remain in power.
As for other key party posts, Fukuda retained Makoto Koga as chairman of the Election Strategy Council, while naming former education minister Kosuke Hori as chairman of the Policy Research Council, and Takashi Sasagawa, lower housesteering committee chief, as the General Council chairman.
Earlier in the day, Fukuda, who has seen his support ratings fall since taking office in September, asked Aso to return to the post by replacing Bunmei Ibuki,an offer which Aso accepted.
Aso, regarded as a frontrunner to succeed Fukuda and known for his popularity among the younger generation as a manga comic book enthusiast, served in thesame post under Shinzo Abe, Fukuda's predecessor.
But he was in the post only for around a month because Abe abruptly resigned inSeptember last year.
The replacement of the secretary general also comes amid voices inside theparty which have questioned Ibuki's coordination capability.
Winning the next general election is crucial for the ruling coalition of the LDP and the New Komeito party, which have yielded control of the House ofCouncillors to the opposition parties after last year's election.
No general election needs to be held until the lower house's current four-year term ends in September 2009, but an election can be held earlier because the prime minister has the right to dissolve the lower house to call for anelection.
==Kyodo
