February 25, 2010
The Tokyo High Court on February 24 ruled that the 2009 House of Representatives general election was unconstitutional because the disparity value of votes cast in single-seat constituencies in the election reached 2. This was the third ruling declaring a general election to be unconstitutional.
Later on the same day, asked by reporters about this ruling, Japanese Communist Party Policy Commission Chair Koike Akira made the following comment:
“Equality in the vote value is a fundamental criterion of democracy. The Diet should seriously accept recent judicial decisions concerning the value of votes and take appropriate measures to reduce the disparity in the value of votes.”
“The court decision is in regard to the undemocratic nature of the single-seat constituency system. The JCP for a long time has insisted that the most suitable election system which reflects public opinion is the proportional representation system. The government must revise the current election system.”
“In its election manifest, the Democratic Party of Japan called for cuts in the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives. The DPJ is turning its back on the move to achieve equality in the vote value. Together with people opposing the DPJ’s plan to reduce proportional representation seats, the JCP will increase its efforts to scrap this plan.”
- Akahata, February 25, 2010
“Equality in the vote value is a fundamental criterion of democracy. The Diet should seriously accept recent judicial decisions concerning the value of votes and take appropriate measures to reduce the disparity in the value of votes.”
“The court decision is in regard to the undemocratic nature of the single-seat constituency system. The JCP for a long time has insisted that the most suitable election system which reflects public opinion is the proportional representation system. The government must revise the current election system.”
“In its election manifest, the Democratic Party of Japan called for cuts in the number of proportional representation seats in the House of Representatives. The DPJ is turning its back on the move to achieve equality in the vote value. Together with people opposing the DPJ’s plan to reduce proportional representation seats, the JCP will increase its efforts to scrap this plan.”
- Akahata, February 25, 2010
