Election Stats
Wrapping up the election coverage for the time being, the Japan Times has a rundown of some interesting statistics of elected members of the Diet:
* 158 first time lawmakers were elected, including 143 from the DPJ (almost half of their total number).
* The average age of elected members is 52 years, with the DPJ averaging 49.4 and the LDP 56.6.
* 54 women (11.3% of the total) were elected, marking a record number of women in the lower house.
* 28.5% of victors came from local government, another 15% were secretaries of lawmakers, and a further 13.5% were beaurocrats.
*46.2% of LDP winners are ‘hereditary candidates’ whose direct relatives were members of the Diet. This compares to 10.4% of DPJ winners.
This last one is a startling statistic. I’ve long heard about the hereditary nature of Japanese politics, but for one of the main parties to consist of almost 50% of such lawmakers is a very significant statistic.
Stats from The Japan Times.
Related posts:
- Election Day 2009
- Summary of Election Results
- Election Ratings
- Schizophrenic Japanese Politics…??
- PM Kan Set to Resign, But Not Clear When
Tags: DPJ, Election 2009, Election Results, Hereditary Politicians, LDP, National Election
