An official announcement from the Liberal Democratic Party is expected either later Tuesday or Wednesday, but a decision on a limited vote that will exclude rank-and-file members has already been approved.The LDP election is for the party leadership, with a parliamentary vote for prime minister following on Sept 16, reports say. Opposition candidates are expected to stand, but the vote is seen largely as a formality that will endorse the ruling party's new leader.
"If we were to hold a full-scale election, it would take two months. With the prime minister's health, two months is very long. We can't take that long," Suzuki said. Considered a pragmatist without strong ideological positions, Suga is a close Abe advisor who encouraged the prime minister to run again after a disastrous first term in office ended after just a year in 2007.