Aso brushes aside poll surveys indicating landslide DPJ victory

+

TOKYO, Aug. 23 Kyodo -
Prime Minister Taro Aso on Sunday tried to brush aside results of recent
surveys indicating that the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan may
secure over 300 seats in the upcoming general election, saying he feels a
positive response from voters.
''I feel more positive responses this week than last week and today than
yesterday,'' Aso, president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said during
a TV program.
''The trend of supporting the LDP is strengthening'' and the situation ''could
come round in a couple of days,'' Aso said, stressing his intention to remain
in power.
He was referring to the results of the latest media surveys indicating that the
DPJ has a good chance of overthrowing the LDP's nearly uninterrupted
half-century in office when voters go to the polls in the House of
Representatives election set for on Aug. 30.
The results of a Kyodo News survey released Saturday showed that the LDP seems
set to lose its hold on government as the ruling party could see the number of
seats it holds cut to slightly over 100, down from the 300 seats it held
heading into the campaign following the dissolution of the 480-seat lower house
on July 21.
DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama, meanwhile, said in a separate TV program that the
survey results show that Japan would witness a ''seismic change'' in the
political landscape.
DPJ held 112 seats at the time of the Diet resolution.
==Kyodo
2009-08-23 21:29:20