Briefly

JAPAN

Takaichi to dissolve parliament on Friday

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she will dissolve ‍ ‍parliament on Friday and call a national election to seek voter backing for increased spending and a new security strategy expected to accelerate Japan's defense buildup. The snap vote will decide all 465 seats in parliament's lower house and mark Takaichi's first electoral test since becoming Japan's first female premier in October. Calling an early election would allow her to capitalize on strong public support to tighten her grip on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and shore up her coalition's fragile majority. The election will test voter appetite for higher spending at a time when the rising cost of living is the top concern. A poll released by public broadcaster NHK last week found 45 percent of respondents cited prices as their main worry, followed by diplomacy and national security at 16 percent.

PORTUGAL

Presidential election heads to runoff

Portugal's presidential election will head to the second round after no candidate secured an outright majority in Sunday's first round, according to figures released by the General Secretariat of the Ministry of Internal Administration. According to the preliminary count, Antonio Jose Seguro of the center-left Socialist Party led the vote with 30.6 percent, followed by Chega party leader Andre Ventura with 24.3 percent. Joao Cotrim de Figueiredo, a right-wing candidate from the Liberal Initiative, placed third with 15.5 percent of the votes, while independent candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo gained 12.2 percent. Based on 95.7 percent of the votes counted, Seguro and Ventura will enter the runoff scheduled for Feb 8 as the leading candidates. The winner will be determined by a simple majority.

Xinhua - Agencies