January 26, 2010
The Hiroshima High Court on January 25 ruled that the disparity in the value of votes in the House of Representatives general election in August in 2009 is unconstitutional.
This is the second decision to regard the disparity of votes in the election unconstitutional, following the ruling by the Osaka High Court last December.
Other lawsuits on the validity of the 2009 general election have been filed with 6 other high courts in the country.
A voter in Hiroshima City filed a lawsuit seeking invalidation of the election in which the value of votes cast in single-seat constituencies carried 2.3 times the weight in the least populated constituency compared to the most populated constituency.
Hirota Satoshi, the presiding judge, said the 2.3-to-1 disparity runs counter to the Constitution. He, however, turned down the request to annul the election results, saying that invalidating the election would be counter to public interests.
- Akahata, January 26, 2010
Other lawsuits on the validity of the 2009 general election have been filed with 6 other high courts in the country.
A voter in Hiroshima City filed a lawsuit seeking invalidation of the election in which the value of votes cast in single-seat constituencies carried 2.3 times the weight in the least populated constituency compared to the most populated constituency.
Hirota Satoshi, the presiding judge, said the 2.3-to-1 disparity runs counter to the Constitution. He, however, turned down the request to annul the election results, saying that invalidating the election would be counter to public interests.
- Akahata, January 26, 2010
