A total of 980 local leadership and assembly races are expected to be held in the upcoming unified elections, according to a tally by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry as of Feb. 1.
The first half of the unified local elections, which include races to pick leaders in prefectures and government ordinance-designated cities, is scheduled for April 9. The second half of the elections, including those to elect mayors of other cities and city assembly members, is set for April 23.
Held once every four years, these local elections were originally intended to be conducted in a unified manner, to heighten voters' interest and cut administrative and other costs. However, the so-called unification rate, which indicates the percentage of all local elections held on such an occasion, is expected to be only 27.40% this time.
