Mie Prefectural Assembly Explained

Mie Prefectural Assembly
Native Name:三重県議会
Native Name Lang:ja
Transcription Name:Mie Kengikai
Coa Pic:Flag of Mie Prefecture.svg
Coa Res:250px
Foundation:
(first elected and convened in 1879)[1]
House Type:Unicameral
Leader1 Type:President (gichō)
Leader1:Norikazu Yamamoto
Party1:Liberal Democratic Party
Leader2 Type:Vice President (fuku-gichō)
Leader2:Hiroyuki Funahashi
Party2:Democratic Party (Japan, 2016)
Members:51 assembly members
Session Room:Mie Prefectural Assembly Hall in 2011.jpg
Session Res:250px
Website:http://www.pref.mie.lg.jp/KENGIKAI/

The is the prefectural parliament of Mie.

Its 51 members are elected every four years in 17 districts by single non-transferable vote (SNTV). 15 electoral districts are multi-member districts, two are single-member district where SNTV becomes equivalent to First-past-the-post voting.

The assembly is responsible for enacting and amending prefectural ordinances, approving the budget and voting on important administrative appointments made by the governor including the vice-governors.

Current composition

The last elections were held in the unified local elections in April 2011, at the same time when centre-right (LDP, Kōmeitō, YP) supported Eikei Suzuki narrowly beat DPJ-supported Naohisa Matsuda in the Mie gubernatorial election. In the assembly election, the Liberal Democratic Party remained strongest party, but the Democratic-Social Democratic group Shinsei Mie ("Renewal Mie") emerged as strongest force. The Japanese Communist Party lost all its seats in 2011.

As of April 30, 2011, the assembly was composed as follows:[2]

Composition of the Mie Prefectural Assembly
Parliamentary groupSeats
Shinsei Mie ("Renewal Mie" of Democrats, Social Democrats and independents)24
Jimin Mirai ("LibDem Future" of Liberal Democrats and independents)21
Yōzan (a group of conservative independents – according to a member, the group name is derived from Uesugi Yōzan[3])3
Kōmeitō2
Minna no Tō (Your Party)1
align=left style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=leftTotal (including vacant seats)51

Electoral districts

As in all prefectures, most electoral districts correspond to current cities and former counties (while the counties were abolished as administrative unit in 1921, cities and counties had initially by definition served as electoral districts for prefectural assemblies in the Empire).

Electoral districts[4] [5]
DistrictMunicipalitiesMagnitude
Tsu CityTsu City7
Yokkaichi CityYokkaichi City7
Ise CityIse City4
Matsusaka CityMatsusaka City4
Kuwana City/Kuwana CountyKuwana City
Kisosaki Town
4
Suzuka CitySuzuka City4
Nabari CityNabari City2
Owase City/Kita-Muro (North Muro) CountyOwase City
Kihoku Town
2
Kameyama CityKameyama City1
Toba CityToba City1
Kumano City/Minami-Muro (South Muro) CountyKumano City
Mihama Town
Kihō Town
2
Inabe City/Inabe CountyInabe City
Tōin Town
2
Shima CityShima City2
Iga CityIga City3
Mie CountyKomono Town
Asahi Town
Kawagoe Town
2
Taki CountyTaki Town
Meiwa Town
Ōdai Town
2
Watarai CountyTamaki Town
Watarai Town
Taiki Town
Minamiise Town
2

References

  1. Mie Prefectural Assembly: 県議会の沿革 > 議会年表
  2. Mie Prefectural Assembly: Parliamentary groups, Members by parliamentary group
  3. Official website of assembly member Yutaka Higashi, May 2, 2011: 会派の名前は、鷹山(ようざん)に決まりました。
  4. Mie Prefectural Assembly: Members by district
  5. Mie electoral commission: Prefectural electoral districts

External links