Japan PM eyes July election, opposition resists

June 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

TOKYO, June 16 (Reuters) – Japan’s main opposition party submitted a symbolic no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Naoto Kan’s cabinet on Wednesday as Kan looked set to rush into a national election to capitalise on a jump in ratings.

The ruling Democratic Party of Japan’s (DPJ) support rates have bounced since Kan took over from his unpopular predecessor Yukio Hatoyama last week, improving the party’s chances in a likely July 11 vote for parliament’s upper house.

The DPJ will stay in power regardless of the election outcome given its majority in the lower house, but the party needs to win in the upper chamber to forge ahead smoothly with policies to cut the country’s huge public debt. [ID:nSGE65D0BK]

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Graphic on voter intentions link.reuters.com/jev83j

Graphic on voter support r.reuters.com/myv63g

For possible election scenarios, click [ID:nTOE65F00Z]

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Lambasting the DPJ for not extending the current session of parliament after the abrupt leadership change, the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) handed in a motion of no-confidence against the cabinet on the last day of debate.

But the move was largely symbolic, since opposition parties are outnumbered by the ruling bloc in the powerful lower chamber. Opposition parties also submitted non-binding censure motions against Kan and a cabinet minister to the upper house.

“If debate took place, their (the Democrats’) support rate would fall,” Jiro Kawasaki, an LDP executive in charge of parliamentary affairs, told reporters.

“Prime Minister Kan is clearly running away.”

Kan, Japan’s fifth premier in three years, has rejected calls for an extended parliament session, listening instead to DPJ lawmakers who want an election as soon as possible.

Media polls show support for Kan’s cabinet at around 60 percent, a jump from around 20 percent during Hatoyama’s final days in office. [ID:nTOE65903N]

ELECTION CHANCES

Kan has revamped the DPJ’s image among voters, tapping policy experts for key cabinet posts and distancing himself from a scandal-tainted party kingpin who was seen as pulling the strings in Hatoyama’s government.

“Former prime minister Hatoyama had no heart. He had no ability to judge the situation properly so it all ended in disaster,” said retiree Kyoko Suiguchi, 65.

“I’ll be voting for Kan’s (party) because they really know what they’re doing.”

But while the leadership change has improved the DPJ’s election chances, it remains unclear if the party can win an outright majority and avoid policy deadlock as it tries to strengthen an economic recovery and fix tattered public finances.

Fiscal problems in Europe and growing market concerns about sovereign debt risk have prompted Kan to make tackling Japan’s public debt — now near twice the size of GDP — a top priority.

If the Democrats fail to win a majority, it would need to maintain its current coalition with the tiny, pro-spending People’s New Party (PNP), or seek help from other allies to pass bills, complicating policy making.

“There is still a month before the election so the Democrats’ ratings could well cool by then,” said Mikitaka Masuyama, a professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies.

“It’s likely that no party wins a majority and there will be a lot of political jockeying after the election to pull together groups for a majority,” Masuyama said.

(Additional reporting by Linda Sieg; Editing by Paul Tait)

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Libs say Labor doctored advice to Governor

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tasmanian Opposition Leader Will Hodgman has continued his attack on legal advice given to the Governor by caretaker Premier David Bartlett.

Mr Hodgman says it appears Labor omitted a paragraph from an interview transcript in the advice given to Governor Peter Underwood.

He says the paragraph quoted Mr Bartlett saying he would never move a motion of no confidence in a government, except in the most serious circumstances.

Mr Hodgman says omitting that part of the transcript generated doubt about the viability of a Liberal minority administration.

“When I received a copy of what Mr Bartlett had apparently sent to his Excellency, and that included a transcript of an interview that was not complete and just happened to exclude that one paragraph where Mr Bartlett said they would not move no confidence in a minority government that, in my view, has me quite legitimately asking Mr Bartlett to explain that,” he said.

“In the most extraordinary of circumstances where the Governor of Tasmania is contemplating commissioning a new government and Mr Bartlett can not even be trusted to provide His Excellency with all the information, I find [it] extraordinary.”

The ABC is seeking a response from Labor.

Governor’s reasons

The Governor has released his reasons for inviting Mr Bartlett to form the state’s next government.

Mr Underwood says he was constitutionally obliged to invite Mr Bartlett to form government because he was not satisfied there would be stability under Liberal leader Will Hodgman.

The Governor says Mr Bartlett’s pre-election promise to give up power if the Liberals polled more of the statewide vote was consitutionally irrelevant.

Meanwhile, Mr Hodgman has again ruled out a deal with the Greens to secure minority government.

Mr Hodgman says he is now focusing on a role as the state’s Opposition Leader.

Greens Leader Nick McKim says his door will remain open to the Liberals and Labor if they want to strike a formal deal.

“The way that Will can deliver that real change, if he’s fair dinkum about it, is simply to pick up the phone or drop me a text or an email,” he said.

“We could sit down maturely and constructively and work through a process which may end up in a formal arrangement between the Greens and the Liberals.”

But Mr Hodgman has again ruled that out.

“I’ve always said no deals. I can’t stop Mr McKim or Mr Bartlett manoeuvring themselves into a position where they can form some sort of coalition government and nor do I intend to do that,” he said.

“It’s a decision they’ve made and they have said they are going to make it work. Well, my job is to hold them to account.”

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Tasmanian stalemate over but political storm remains

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tasmania’s political stalemate is over and Labor has been asked to form a new government, but the surprising turnaround cannot mask the problems that face the new administration.

Labor and the Liberal Opposition each have 10 seats in the Parliament, and the Greens have five.

The Greens have offered their support to Labor and Premier David Bartlett is now not ruling out doing a formal deal with the Greens or offering them ministries in his new government.

Liberal leader Will Hodgman is furious and says the new government is built on lies.

“The reason we have a Labor/Green government is that Mr Bartlett has broken his promises,” he said.

“He broke his promise to let the party with the most votes govern Tasmania.

“He broke his promise to not move a motion of no confidence and he broke his promise on supply. And Mr McKim, despite all that he has said during this election, has sold out to Labor.”

But Mr Bartlett says he has not broken his promise.

“I kept my commitment to the Tasmanian people that I would give Will Hodgman, in the first instance, the opportunity to form a government,” he said.

“He was unable to do so and therefore it falls to me to form a government.

“It falls to me and others in the Parliament, no doubt about it, in my party, certainly in the Greens Party and to a lesser extent in the Liberal Party, to make this work for Tasmanians and that is what I am determined to do.”

Mr Hodgman says the Premier failed to assure the Governor that Labor would not block supply of a Liberal government.

“On day one Tasmanians know that they have a government that has been built on deceit and lies,” he said.

“It has no moral authority. It has no integrity. On behalf of Tasmanians who are disgusted by these events, we will be moving a motion of no confidence immediately in this illegitimate government that is based on dishonesty, lies and deception.”

That no-confidence motion is certain to fail because the Greens are holding the balance of power and Mr McKim says the Greens will support Labor.

“We won’t support any no-confidence motion that Will Hodgman might move on the first day in Labor if there is no negotiated arrangement, because we’ve given a commitment not to and we have given that commitment because we absolutely believe that Tasmanian people deserve stable government,” he said.

But how long that support will last is another thing. Mr McKim says he is still willing to do a deal with either party.

“The Liberal Party should have a look at themselves here and realise that what we need to do is work together,” he said.

“That is what the Greens have always said. That is what we have given evidence of in the commitments we have made in the last 24 hours and that is what we will continue to do.”

The Liberals are still refusing to do a deal with the Greens but the Premier is now open to the idea.

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Hodgman threatens no-confidence vote

April 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Tasmania’s new Labor minority Government is already facing the threat of a no-confidence motion.

Governor Peter Underwood ended a dramatic chapter in Tasmanian politics yesterday, when he told caretaker Premier David Bartlett he had an obligation to test the strength of his government on the floor of the house.

Mr Bartlett had advised the Governor to invite the Liberals to form minority government.

The major parties hold 10 seats each in the hung parliament and the Greens hold five.

Liberal leader Will Hodgman says he will move a motion of no-confidence immediately.

He had expected to become Premier because his party won more votes.

“On day one, Tasmanians know that they have a government that has been built on deceit and lies,” he said.

“In their lust for power, [the Greens have] sold out to the Labor party, soundly beaten at the election and have offered unconditional support – so when I said a vote for the Greens is a vote for Labor, I was right.”

“[Mr Bartlett is] forming an illegitimate government with the support of the Greens – Tasmanians now have a Labor-Green government that is built on lies.”

Mr Bartlett says the Governor wanted to be convinced the Liberals could form stable minority government.

The Premier-in-waiting says his mission is to restore trust in Tasmania’s political system.

“Will Hodgman has been unable to do so, therefore the responsibility rests with me – the major parties hold ten seats each in the new parliament, with the Greens holding the balance of power.”

“I intend to make the Government work in the interests of all Tasmanians for the next four years.”

Mr Bartlett has less than a week to choose his new cabinet, but he would not be drawn on possible deals with the Greens.

“My first task is to sit down my parliamentary Labor Party colleagues and I’m not jumping any further ahead than that,” he said.

Greens leader Nick McKim says his party stands by its pledge to support a minority Labor Government and has urged Mr Hodgman to cooperate.

“We won’t support any no-confidence motion that Will Hodgman might move on the first day on Labor if there is no negotiated arrangement, because we’ve given a commitment not to,” he said.

“We’ve given that commitment because we absolutely believe the Tasmanian people not only deserve it but desire stable government.

“[Mr Hodgman] needs to put that disappointment behind him and not be a destabiliser or wrecker in the new parliament.”

Mr McKim says his party will not be making any demands, even though it holds the balance of power.

“Our position is unchanged on ministries – we’ve said we wouldn’t demand ministries in any negotiations, but we’ve also said that we’d consider any model of governance that has the capacity and maximises the opportunity to deliver stable government,” he said.

Mr Bartlett has not ruled out a ministerial post for the Greens in his new cabinet.

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Libs seething as Labor reinstalled in Tasmania

April 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Labor caretaker Premier David Bartlett has been asked by the state’s governor to test his support on the floor of the House of Assembly.

But the fallout from the decision has already begun, with the Liberal Party accusing Labor of acting dishonourably.

Tasmanian Governor Peter Underwood released a statement this afternoon saying he had asked Mr Bartlett to form minority government.

Mr Underwood said Mr Bartlett had an obligation to form a government so its strength could be tested on the floor of the House of Assembly.

Mr Bartlett said he was determined to make the new government work.

“I want this job and I’m very pleased that the Governor has asked me to commission a government,” he said.

“I will do everything I can to make this work. This is too important not to allow it to work.

“Jobs are at stake. Our economy is at stake.”

But yesterday Mr Bartlett advised Mr Underwood to invite the Liberals to govern because they polled more of the statewide vote.

Both leaders met the Governor again this afternoon.

After the meeting, Liberal leader Will Hodgman addressed a media conference and accused Labor of acting dishonourably.

Mr Hodgman said Mr Bartlett had broken his promise to the Tasmanian people.

He said the decision meant Tasmanians would have a Labor-Green Government with a lust for power.

Mr Hodgman said the Liberals would move a motion of no-confidence in Labor on the floor of the house.

Meanwhile Greens leader Nick McKim said the Governor had chosen the most stable option.

“I was really encouraged to hear David talking tonight about trust and the need to build trust because ultimately he’s right,” Mr McKim said.

“What the Tasmanian people have voted for is a parliament where no one party has the majority and it’s incumbent on all of us now to work as best we can constructively and co-operatively.”

Tasmanians elected a hung parliament last month with Labor and the Liberals gaining 10 seats each and the Greens five.

The Governor’s decision came after a day of drama that involved the Greens pledging their support for the incumbent Labor Government in minority.

Earlier, Mr McKim said if neither major party signed a written power-sharing deal, the Greens would support Labor.

Mr Hodgman did not comment on the Greens’ pledge but a media adviser said the party would not do deals and would not be blackmailed into negotiating.

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