Sanae Takaichi won the Liberal Democratic Party presidential poll Saturday with the backing of a party membership that saw its moderate groups split their support among two candidates in the first round of voting and amid worries about the rise of smaller right-wing opposition forces like Sanseito.
Takaichi, who became the LDP¡¯s first-ever female president and is likely to become Japan¡¯s first female prime minister, was also the choice of former Prime Minister Taro Aso, whose support was critical for her victory in the runoff and whose role as a behind-the-scenes kingmaker could greatly influence her party leadership and Cabinet choices, as well as her policies.
Saturday¡¯s voting patterns suggest that, while the conservative and hawkish Takaichi, a protege of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was the favorite among local LDP chapters, her fellow members of parliament were more divided.
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