Tokyo: Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was re-elected as the president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Thursday for the third term, paving the way for him to become the country’s premier for three more years.
He won 553 out of 807 votes, beating his only contender, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Abe bagged 329 out of the 402 valid ballots cast by the party members of the Diet, and 224 out of the remaining 405 votes allocated to LDP branches, reported the Japan Times.
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Abe has been serving as the prime minister of the country for nearly six years and with this victory, he may become Japan’s longest-serving premier.
Japan’s leading daily reported that, with his renewed leadership, the Prime Minister might reshuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.