Prime Minister Stepdown
In the face of dwindling support, increased opposition in Parliament, inability for any legislation to be passed, Japan’s Prime Minister has resigned. Yasuo Fukuda today announced he is stepping down and wishes for a fresh start for the government and the Japanese people as a whole saying “we need a new line-up to cope with a new session of parliament.”
He did not call for a general election and will instead have an internal party vote to choose his successor. Of course, opposition parties are clamoring an declaring they’ll take control during the next general election. But even the act of replacing him with someone new in his own party who will try to jump start the government is something to speak of.
Think about that for a second. A political leader realizing at constant odds with parliament, getting done while he is in office, his approval rating at 29% and falling, decides that the best thing for the people of his country is for him to step aside and let someone else try to energize the government. Obviously this isn’t something that can happen frequently but it is a one shot chance to turn things around.
Are you wondering the same thing I am? Imagine, in the face of massive public disdain, the lack of doing anything productive for our country and being at increased odds with congress, our commander-in-chief stepped aside and his party voted on someone else to take charge and get things done. Think about how things would be different. Maybe no stalled economy. Maybe no wars in multiple foreign countries. Maybe no financial crisis.
We’ve got the succession of power rules in the Constitution so if the president stepped down, he’d be replaced by the vice-president. Currently, that would be even more of a disaster. Dick “Faceshot” Cheney as president? See ya! I’m off to live in Canada, eh?. Plus I don’t think that type of move meshes well with the American “beat the dead horse till it’s dead and don’t stop till it’s dead” attitude. Though I could be wrong.
I though it very interesting than any political leader would even contemplate, let alone do, something like this. Good for him. Here’s hoping it was the right move for Japan.
