Latest news with #electiondefeat
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Will Japan become the latest country to fall to the populist right?
Japan's prime minister Shigeru Ishiba suffered a bruising upper house election defeat at the weekend, leading to questions over his future. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party, in power for most of the past 70 years, lost its coalition in the election. It is the latest blow for the party, having lost its majority in the more powerful lower house, the House of Representatives, last year. The right-wing Sanseito party saw a surge in popularity after winning 14 seats, up from one, in the 248-seat upper house on Sunday. Sanseito, which has called for a crackdown on 'excessive acceptance of foreigners', became the fourth largest opposition party in parliament. It has taken inspiration from Donald Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) messaging, using slogans like 'Japanese First'. So, will Japan become the latest country to embrace to the populist right? The Independent takes a closer look below. What is Sanseito? Sanseito was created in 2019, emerging from an ultranationalist YouTube channel. The party's "Japanese First" pitch is that the country is under cultural and economic threat from outsiders. It has proposed "loyalty checks" for foreigners, as well as the suspension of social services to foreign residents and strict limits for hiring them. The party rallies against globalisation, much like the US Republican Party, claiming that foreign ownership of once-public utilities drives up prices. Will Sanseito take power? So far, Sansetio has 14 of 248 seats in Japan's upper house. This is compared to Japan's Liberal Democratic Party's 47. The Constitutional Democratic Party, the main opposition, came in second with 22 seats. Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer in Japanese Studies, said support for more right wing parties had cut into the LDP's conservative support base. 'Prime Minister Ishiba is considered not conservative enough by many supporters of the former Prime Minister [Shinzo] Abe,' he told BBC News. 'They think that he just doesn't have the nationalistic views on history, he doesn't have the strong views against China that Abe had.' What other countries have seen surges by the right? In Germany, the Alternative for Deutschland (AfD), a right-wing, anti-globalist challenger to long-established parties, made gains in this year's election. It took just over 20 per cent of the vote, becoming the country's second strongest political voice in February. For many, it was seen as a sign to crack down on illegal migration across Europe. In the US, Donald Trump won re-election in 2024 on an America-First, anti-immigration platform. And in the UK, Nigel Farage's Reform UK is polling at around nine points ahead of Labour at 34 per cent, according to recent tallies.
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
In Japan, Anti-Establishment Parties Resonate With the Young
The surging popularity of new, right-wing political parties that handed Japan's long-governing Liberal Democratic Party a humiliating election defeat is a sign of a growing generational gap, as younger voters embrace calls for lower taxes, restrictions on immigration and a break with the political status quo. The defeat, which rendered the Liberal Democrats a minority in both houses of the Diet, the country's Parliament, could herald the end of an era for the broad-tent conservative group that has been the country's dominant political force for 70 years. But while the party has faced would-be usurpers before, this time was different, because the challengers came from the nationalist right, which the Liberal Democrats had long controlled. The biggest winners on Sunday were two, far-right parties that did not exist five years ago. While Japan in the past has seen its share of flash-in-the-pan, anti-establishment upstarts, the Democratic Party of the People and the more extreme Sanseito party seemed to make much larger inroads among younger voters, who were drawn by their pledges to lift stagnant wages, reduce the number of foreign workers and break the grip that older generations of voters have held on politics. 'The populists appeals have found support among younger voters whose income has not grown or who feel uncomfortable seeing more foreigners,' said Harumi Arima, an independent political analyst. 'Their disenchantment with the L.D.P. has spread online, outside traditional media.' The gains of the right-wing parties have led many in Japan to wonder if the global wave of right-wing anti-establishment political movements had finally reached their shores. After years of seeming insulated from outside political forces, many Japanese voters, particularly in its younger generations, finally have had enough of what they regard as a political order dominated by corporate and political vested interests and the legions of retirees Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
On GPS: British Conservative leader on the future of her party
Fareed speaks with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch about how the party of Margaret Thatcher is faring in the face of its historic defeat last year, and what it will need to do to win again.
CNN
20-07-2025
- Politics
- CNN
On GPS: British Conservative leader on the future of her party
Fareed speaks with Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch about how the party of Margaret Thatcher is faring in the face of its historic defeat last year, and what it will need to do to win again.
National Post
31-05-2025
- Business
- National Post
Michael Taube: Why Pierre Poilievre should not fire Jenni Byrne
Election night can be a glorious occasion for some political parties and governments, and a dismal outcome for others. It's not unusual for the long knives to come out after a poor result. That's what some people are suggesting is happening right now within the Conservative Party's inner sanctum — and the main target is Jenni Byrne. Article content Article content 'Pressure is mounting on Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to fire Jenni Byrne, his national campaign manager,' according to a May 22 CBC News piece, 'whom critics hold responsible for the party's election defeat last month.' Twelve Conservative sources reportedly spoke with Radio-Canada reporter Christian Noel and were 'granted confidentiality to discuss internal party matters.' Article content Many quotes were rather harsh. Article content Article content 'After a loss, heads have to roll,' one Conservative source suggested. 'If Jenni Byrne stays, we won't be able to support Pierre,' said another. 'There's only one head that needs to roll, and that's Jenni's. You don't realize how she treats everyone like garbage,' a third person remarked. Article content Byrne also reportedly exhibits 'toxic and angry' behaviour. She supposedly feels that 'everything is a war' in politics. She was called 'a bully who operates on threats' and 'many MPs are either afraid of her or hate her.' One source even warned, 'Pierre needs to change his negative personality and kick Jenni out. Otherwise, it's the caucus that's going to kick the leader out.' Article content People often talk tough when they can hide behind a cloak of anonymity. They wouldn't dare say these types of things in public. Or to Byrne's face, for that matter. Article content Let's put this rumour to bed. As someone who's been connected to the Conservative party, movement, and circles of interest for decades, I can confidently say there's no 'pressure' on Poilievre to fire Byrne. Are some Conservatives frustrated with the election result and view it as a missed opportunity? Yes, but that's par for the course. There's no inner party revolt brewing, and confidence in Poilievre and Byrne remains strong. Article content Why did the CBC suggest otherwise? While I'm sure that real people were interviewed for Noel's piece, my guess is these Conservative sources were largely left-leaning Red Tories, old Progressive Conservative supporters — or both. These individuals have always had it in for Byrne and others who were born, bred and worked in Reform Party and Canadian Alliance circles. It's a long-standing issue that stems back to the 2003 merger of the Alliance and PCs. In spite of the fact the Reform/Alliance side was the much larger and more dominant group, the Red Tories and PCs grasp at straws and look for opportunities to regain power. That's highly unlikely: their numbers are decreasing, and they're even more irrelevant now than they were before. Article content Not that this would deter the CBC one little bit. Poilievre has long supported defunding the CBC. He told Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley last December that it would happen 'very quick.' Any story that could knock down the Conservative leader a few extra pegs would likely be of some interest. If disgruntled Conservatives also wanted to throw a few stones at him, a slingshot could be provided.
