The mayor of the city of Kamisu, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, was chosen by lottery after two candidates running received exactly the same number of preferences. Public broadcaster NHK reported this, explaining that luck in the draw favored independent candidate Toshiyuki Kiuchi, against outgoing mayor Susumu Ishida, who is also an independent candidate.
Both received 16,724 votes, and in this case, when faced with a perfect tie, national election law provides for the use of ties to determine the final winner.
“I expected a close race, but I didn’t imagine we would end up with an absolute draw,” said Kiuchi, after the fuss over mathematical accuracy. However, the unlucky mayor has no intention of giving up on the case, NHK reported, and has announced an official appeal to the election commission to request a vote recount.
The last time local elections in Japan were decided by lottery was more than a decade ago, local media reported. The procedure, although regulated by law, remains an exception that underlines the rigor of Japan’s voting system and its limitations, when the will of the people is expressed in a very balanced manner.
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