レッツ　エンジョイ　イングリッシュ　19th

【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The election of choosing those in the Presidential election》

Both of the Democratic and Republican Party have powerful organizing ability, so the Presidential election is the substantial battle between the candidates from either of the political parties.

The total number of those in the Presidential election is five hundred thirty eight in the whole America, the total amount is hundred from the Senate, and four hundred thirty five from the Lower House, and adding up three from Washington which is the capital. It has been fixed like that.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The election choosing those in the Presidential election》

The candidate who wins more than 270 is elected as the President.

As to the Senate, two people every state, but the member of the Lower House is allocated being in proportional to the population, so some of them is only one like North Dakota. Three of those are elected in total in the North Dakota.

Those in the Presidential election is decided with the way of taking all by winner. For example, the number of allocated those in the Presidential election is fifty five in California.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The election in those in the Presidential election》

If a candidate won the other one more than vote by even a single vote, the former candidate wins all the frame of fifty five those in California, but two of states of Nebraska and Maine are exceptional, those in the Presidential election are allocated to the candidates who won every electoral area on the Lower House. The number of those in the Presidential election which candidate can get is fixed being in proportion to the number of voting.

Each of candidates selects fifty five…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The election in those of the Presidential election》

Each candidate selects fifty five from its supporters beforehand, and reported it to the board of election, and they become those in the Presidential election automatically. Those in the Presidential election gather at the capital of the state in the next month of December and vote, and its ballot counting is done at the assembly hall of the Senate in the Congress of the Federal State January in the next year. Then the President is decided formally.

But when voting November, it turned…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

...it turns out which candidates could win when voting November, so then the President in America is decided actually.

《Why have they adopted the complicated way like that?》

Why have they adopted the complicated way like that? Because they've preserved the tradition when America was established.

When America was founded, the means of transportation was limited and voting all together in the scale of the whole America was impossible.

To make matters worse, the number of people who could read and write were limited. Drafters on the ...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Why have they adopted the complicated way like that？》

Drafters on the constitution of the states thought those nations didn't have the ability of choosing the President for themselves, so trying to leave electing the President to the representatives who had the judgement of choosing the President.

As a result, the representatives were chosen by the parliament of each state in the beginning, but the voice that they should choose the President for themselves was heightened soon, and they adopted the way representatives are chosen by....

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

...and they adopted the way of choosing representatives for themselves in 1830s, and it's the present one.

《Even if the total number of vote was less, it could be elected》

It was the Presidential election in 2000 when the contradiction came out from the complicated way. Then the candidate of Al Gore from the Democratic Party gathered some fifty-one million votes in the whole America in total, but the number of representatives which he won were two hundred sixty-six.

On the other hand, the candidate of Bush from the Republican Party...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Even if the total number of vote was less, it could be elected》

...the candidate of Bush from the Republican Party gathered some fifty million and a half of votes and won, it was less than Gore, but won the two hundred seventy one representative. It was more than Gore, and he was elected as President.

In short, the candidate who was less supporters from the nation was elected as the President then.

Even if the total number of voting is much, the one of which number of representatives is less won the election. Why? The author suggests...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Even if the total number of vote was less, it could be elected》

The author suggested we should think with a simpler instance so as to understand its mechanism.

Let's suppose there was some state of which the number of votes were a half million, and chose fifty representatives, and there was other state of which the number of votes were three hundred thousand and chose three hundred thousand of representatives.

A candidate won two hundred and sixty thousand votes in the first state, and the other one did two hundred forty thousand votes.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Even if the total number of votes was less, it could win》

In the next state, the former one won a hundred thousand votes, and the latter two hundred thousand votes.

The total amount of votes which the former won was three hundred sixty thousand in total and got fifty representatives.

On the other hand, the latter did four hundred forty thousand in total and did thirty representatives.

As to the total amount of votes, though the latter was more than the former, as to the number of representatives, the former was less than the latter.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】


As to the total number of votes, the former was more than the latter, the number of representatives was less, for it's the system in which the candidate who won more representatives can take all the representatives, so it happens, for they have adopted the system like that it happens sometimes.

《A strange even in Florida》

Miscounting the number of votes one after another at Florida in the Presidential election in 2008, and counting the vote was done again.

Whie counting votes and totaling it up took time and delayed, the result of...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《A strange event at Florida》

...the results of counting vote in other states were all present, the candidate of Al Gore from the Democratic Party won two hundred sixty six representatives, George Bush from the Republican Party did two hundred forty six. Both of the candidates couldn't won two hundred seventy representatives which was the majority.

It means that the one who won the twenty five representatives in Florida will be the next President.

The way of voting was different in Florida, according to a county. A ballot paper on ...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《A strange event in Florida》

A ballot paper on which the name of candidate was printed is handed over, and eligible voters make a hole next to the name of the candidate. Some county adopted the primitive way like that.

The Democratic Party is strong there originally, but eligible voters mistook or overlooked the hole, and eligible voters supporting the Democratic party made a hole next to the name of Bush appeared one after another.

So counting the number of ballot paper was done again, and the decision Bush won
with the vote of five...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《A strange event in Florida》

...and decision that Bush won with the vote of five hundred thirty seven was done, twenty five of representatives were on the side of Bush, and the President Bush was born with the narrow margin 271 vs 266.

It was the secretary of state in Florida from the Republican Party who counted the vote again, and set up the deadline and decided the result, so there was the criticism that the decision was on the side of the Republican Party, but as Gore accepted the decision finally, the decision was confirmed.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《A strange event in Florida》

If the decision of totaling up in Florida had been different, the invasion in Iraq by the Military force of America couldn't have caused, so we can say totaling up caused to be dead thousands of people.

Writing the name of the candidate on the ballot paper in Japan, but it's different in America. As there are some people who can't write letters, the name of the candidate is printed on the ballot paper in advance.

On the other hand the way of voting is different altogether, according to the area in America.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

We the Japanese are forced to feel odd, but choosing the representatives is the job for the state in America. As choosing the representatives from the state, the way of choosing is different, according to the state.

As some of states leave it to the originality in the state, so it happens.

《Voting day is the next day of the first Monday》

The Presidential election in America in 2012 was Tuesday of the sixth day November. It's something incomplete, for the voting day on the Presidential election has been decided on the next day of the...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Voting day is the next day of the first Monday》

...for the voting day on the Presidential election has been decided the next day of the first Monday on November. Why is it scheduled like that？ There are two reasons for it.

The first is America is the nation of Christianity, and there had never been TV nor radio when the rule was fixed.

The Christianity who were suppressed by Protestants in Europe established America. The foundation on the nation has been built by the idea of the Christianity.

Speaking of the voting day on election...

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The voting day is the next day of the first Monday》

Speaking of the voting day on the election in Japan, it’s Sunday, but the Sunday is a rest day for the Christianity, Without working at all, after going to church for praying, the Americans make it a rule to stay at home calmly though the actual situation may have been different. Voting on Sunday is out of question.

What about Saturday? Saturday is the rest day for Judas, so it seems they should avoid both of Sunday and Saturday, so voting on Monday seems to be good, but if Monday …

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The voting day is the next day of the first Monday》

…but if Monday is the day of voting, the people of the board of election have to go to work on Sunday so as to prepare for the election beforehand.

Besides, when the nation was founded, the means of transporting was a horse wagon alone, so if Monday was the voting day, some people had to leave their home Sunday which was the rest day for them, so Monday ended up not being the rest day for them so Tuesday is the voting day.

But it seems that if fixing the first Tuesday is the voting…

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【The system of the Presidential election in Japan】

Though it seems that fixing the voting day is the first Tuesday is good, there is possibility that the voting day becomes the first day of November. The first day of November is all Hallows’ day which celebrates saints and martyrs. It’s an important day for praying, so they can’t vote on the day.

But the All Hallows’ day has never been aware of the day for praying in America recently, and Halloween of the previous night becomes famous, but the tradition of being founded as the nation of Christianity remains.

《It costs a lot on the…》

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メイちゃん、元気かな？😊

【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《It costs a lot on the Presidential election》

It costs a lot on the Presidential election in America, for they can broadcast CM on TV limitlessly, so its cost alone is extraordinary. The fund paid out in the Presidential election in 2000 was some seventy billion yen.

In addition, the one in 2012, it was two hundred and nine billion yen, adding the one of Obama to the one of Romney. The candidate who can gather the large amount of fund can survive.

The author said he is worried about that the President does its job so as..

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

…the author is worried about the President does his job so as to help its sponsor who offered the fund, but lots of American think the President has such a popularity that it can gather lots of fund.

《Gathering the political donation with the internet》

As to the way of gathering the political fund in America, the internet plays a big role. The official homepage on each candidates has the section of the political donation.

For example, if looking at the homepage of Obama, the amount of money on the political donation is divided into…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Gathering the political donation with the internet》

…the amount of money on the political donation is divided into some sections like 15 dollars, 25 dollars, 50dollars, 100dollars, 250dollars, 2300dollars and the others.

The one who wants to donates clicks either of the sections and inputs the number of credit card, the donation is done, the political donation is done as if they made use of the home shopping

As to the personal donation, its limit is 2300 dollars each of the preliminary and primary election, being able to donate until…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

…being able to donate until 4.600 dollars in total, and everyone can easily donate, so the Presidential election in America is called grassroots election.

《The personal donation is the center of the political fund》

The personal political fund is 2.300 dollars to the candidate in the single election, and 25.000dollars a year in the national committee of the Democratic and Republican Party, and 10.00dollars a year in the political party of the local area. It is limited like that.

The regulation on the political fund has been carried out…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The personal donation is the center of the political fund》

The regulation on the political fund has been carried out over and over again in the past, and strengthened gradually so as to prevent from happening corruption of doing political incentive to the ones who offered the political donation.

But when the regulation is severe, a loophole is made, and it’s the politcal donation by way of the PAC which is the abbreviation of Political Action Committee. Organizing PAC which is other from the candidate itself, and the PAC gathered the…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The personal donation in the center of the political func》

…and PAC gathered the fund and donated to the political party. The way spread, and the political party used the cost so as to support the Presidential candidate with the name of the political activity.

So as the regulation became in name only, the revision of the election law was formed in 2002, and the amount of the money of the political fund by way of PAC learned to be limited.

Besides it, the federal government offers the subsidy in the both of preliminary and primary…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

…the federal government offers the subsidy in both of the preliminary and primary election so as to reduce of shouldering the expense on candidates.

《The declaration that it doesn’t need nine billion yen》

In the primary election on the President, each candidate can receive some nine billion yen from the federal government, but the candidate of Obama announced he didn’t receive the fund in the both of the Presidential election in 2008 and 2012.

If receiving the fund from the federal government, the expenditure must limit within the fund.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The declaration that it didn’t need nine billion yen》

There has been the rule like that, but Obama hated it. It seemed that he revealed his policy of using more than nine billion yen in the primary election of the President.

Except for Obama, none of candidates have refused to receive the subsidy from the government, so Obama was the first one.

On the other hand, McCain showed clearly he would accept the subsidy from the government and criticized Obama as the candidate of the power of money.

How much the Presidential election in…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

How much the election of the power of the money in America is! When thinking of it, the author said he felt as if he had felt overwhelmed, but we can say meeting the election campaign with the small amount of money from lots of supporters is the democracy itself, so it’s the strong point for Obama.

《The President is trained with the severe Presidential election》

The President in America doesn’t remain a political leader in America alone, deploying the military force all over the world and exercising its authority, having influential…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The President is trained with the severe Presidential election》

…having influence all over the world. Who is the President in America? It has great influence over the world, so we are forced to think we can’t leave the voting to the nation in America alone.

While having the powerful authority, being the President in America is hard. At first competing against companions in the same political party so as to be the candidate.

Contingency that making a mistake in the speech, something scandalous revealed, or the fund of election …

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《The President is trained with the severe Presidential election》

…or the fund of the election campaign runs short of continued after that. The contingency breaks out one after another.

Even if being able to get over those trial and being the candidate, the primary election waits for the candidate, and the candidate is forced to be one on one fight with its powerful rival in the primary election, and the candidate has to defeat its rival in the open debate broadcasting all over America.

But defeating its rival with the theory alone…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

…it doesn’t always mean that the candidate is supported from the voters, being asked for humanity which is easy to get along with the candidate.

Being checked from all over sides during the election campaign and the one who fights it out is qualified as the President in America.

In short, the Presidential election is the system of training the President.

《Making use of words》

When looking at the Presidential election and there is something which the author has thought of. Each of candidates makes much of words.

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Making much of words》

The author said whenever listening to the speech in the National Assembly or to the one during the election campaign in Japan, he was often disappointed at them, he was wondering what they wanted to say, especially the policy speech by the Prime Minister in the National Assembly, the ones who are in charged of each of the ministries and the government offices shares their jobs and incorporates the contents which they want the Prime Minister to say.

As a result it’s apt to range the policy which is as dry as dust…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

《Making much of words》

…it’s apt to range policy which is as dry as dust which doesn’t have any philosophy and insight.

On the other hand, in America a splendid speech writer is in the side of the President and the Presidential candidate and wrote down the sentence on the political philosophy and the ideal on the state, making use of repeated phrase, high flown rhetoric, making a comfortable rhythm when listening to.

Moreover staring at the TV camera and audience enough with persuasive gestures, so they are different from the statesmen…

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【The system of the Presidential election in America】

…so they are different from the statesmen in Japan who read the manuscript at hand in monotonous tone. Why do the statesmen make effort in America like that? Because they persuade others with the words as weapon and try to come true their ideal, believing in the power in words. Words are great power for the statesmen.

The author said like that and added he wanted the statesmen in Japan to recognize it.

【The election is interesting】

Needless to say there is the rule in the election choosing the Diet member, and it is determined with the…

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【The election is interesting】

…and it is determined with the law of the public office election law. If knowing the rule enough, when looking at the election, we can enjoy ourselves more than usual, the author said like that.

《There is also the rule in the election》

The feature of the election in Japan is that there is detailed rules. Except for vote buying, everything is OK in America as principle, but Japan is different from America.

When looking at the contents on the detailed rules, Japan is so bad that it has to be regulated like that or the rule isn’t so bad. Which is right?

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【The election is interesting】

《There is also a rule in the election》

The author said he was sunk in thought deeply.

Buying voting is forbidden. It’s natural. Asking to vote and handing cash and coupon for goods to eligible voters, making the eligible voters drink and eat is illegal. The one who made to eat and to drink is illegal as well.

The time when the election campaign is done is from the day when the candidacy was recognized to the day immediate before the day of the voting.

Calling to the eligible voters to vote from the campaign election car is a.m. 8：00 to p.m.8：00 during the…

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【The election is interesting】

《There is also a law in the election》

Calling to eligible voters to vote is done from a.m.8：00 to p.m.8：00 during the election campaign.

After 8：00, without using a microphone, the candidate and campaign staff called to voters, losing their voice.

When calling for voting from the campaign election vehicle, the place near hospital and school is the one asking for the place where calmness and serenity.

The office in the election is one place in the electoral area with regard to the single seat constituency on the House of Representatives. The political party…

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【The election is interesting】

《There is also a law in the election》

The political party which has the candidacy can have the single office in the electoral area. They can move the office on the election, but it’s limited once a day. It’s the system that they can’t move the office on the election frequently here and there so much.

《Door to door canvass is exhibited》

Door to door canvass has never been applied in Japan. It’s characteristic in Japan.

On the other hand, the door to door canvass is the center of the election campaign in Europe and America, and candidate and its supporters …

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【The election is interesting】

《Door to door canvass is prohibited》

…and both candidate and its supporters visit the resident one by one and appeals the support for the candidate.

But as to Japan, if adopting door to door canvass, there is possibility they may have gone into the house, and they can’t be seen from the outside, and acceptance or delivery on cash may have done there, so door to door canvass is prohibited.

In the place where others can’t see, the acceptance and delivery on cash must have done. The government never believes in its nation at all.

Actually if the political…

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【The election is interesting】

《Door to door canvass is prohibited》

Actually if the political party in which there were lots of members carry out the door to door canvass, the other political party in which there were small amount of members was disadvantageous. The political party which had the small amount of number thought like that, and forbade the door to door canvass.

As a result, the election car drove around the electoral area, calling the name of candidate repeatedly so much that the election is noisy very much in Japan.

《There is the regulation on the lunch money as well》

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【The election is interesting】

《There is the regulation on the lunch money as well》

As to the campaign staffer in the election campaign, there is the regulation for it. The lunch money once is limited within one thousand yen, within three thousand yen a day. It has been fixed like that.

The thing which they should be careful is the campaign staffer as the part-time job.

The ones who are in charge of driving a car or carrying baggage reported their name to the board of election as labor and paying daily wage within ten thousand yen to labor is possible.

But if making the student who didn’t…

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【The election is interesting】

《There is the regulation on the lunch money as well》

If making a student who didn’t report its name to the board election pass out fliers on the election, and call the eligible voters asking for voting, and paying daily wage to the student, there is the possibility of buying votes, for there is the gist that the election campaign should be done by volunteers alone as principle.

But even if there are volunteers, it costs a lot for the election campaign. How much can they spend on money for the election campaign? Election campaign expenses authorized by law is…

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【The election is interesting】

《There is the regulation on lunch money as well》

Election campaign expenses authorized by law is decided. As to the single seat constituency of the House of Representatives, adding to the fixed cost of nineteen million one hundred thousand yen to the number of the eligible voters multiplied by fifteen yen. They can use the amount of money like that.

If the electoral area has half million of eligible voters, seven million and half yen is added. Oh, I’ve forgotten to express, but the expense of cakes served with tea is five hundred yen for a single campaign...

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【The election is interesting】

…the expense of cakes served with tea is five hundred yen for a single campaign staffer a day as if it were excursion on elementary school. It seems that the eligible voters have never been trusted at all, the author said like that.

《Campaign broadcast is also done》

When the election of the House of Representatives of the House of Councilors start, the campaign broadcast is done through TV or radio.

While NHK broadcasts at the time when the audience is easy to watch or to listen to, the commercial broadcast station does in the midnight or early morning.

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【The election is interesting】

《Campaign broadcast is also done》

Who watches it in such the time? It is done at the time by the commercial broadcast station, for it wants to broadcast TV program which has high viewership or the advertising expense is high at the prime time.

Ideas and principles of the candidate and the political party is told to the eligible voters in the campaign broadcast, so as to offer the eligible voters as judgement materials.

If an individual candidate or the political party try to tell to the eligible voters, it cost a lot, so let’s make use of the broadcast so ….

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【The election is interesting】

《Campaign broadcast is also done》

…so let’s make use of the broadcast so as to come true the election which cost less, and it is done.

As to the election of the House of Representatives, the campaign broadcast on the single seat constituency is done by both of NHK and of the commercial broadcast station, the proportional representatives is done by NHK alone, for the radio wave by NHK reaches to the whole Japan, but the one by the commercial broadcast station doesn’t always reach all over Japan, there are lots of areas which the radio wave doesn’t reach.

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【The election is interesting】

《Campaign broadcast is also done》

As to the proportional representatives of the House of councilors, as its electoral area is the whole Japan, so its campaign broadcast is done by NHK alone.

The campaign broadcast is two kinds. The one is broadcast at the studio of the broadcast station, going by the book by the election.

The other is the political party recorded originally and brings it in the broadcast station.

The election of the House of councilors and proportional representatives of the House of Representatives are recorded at the studio of the ….

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【The election is interesting】

《Campaign broadcast is also done》

As to the proportional representatives of both of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors are recorded at the studio of the broadcast station.

There are lots of pictures that the head of the political party and a famous person talked on the policy in the recording of the both of the House.

The candidate itself makes a speech to the camera, and its direction has a rule and there is a scene the image of the candidate is zoomed out in the middle of the speech. Talking to itself in front of the camera is hard.

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【The election is interesting】

《Campaign broadcast is also done》

Some of them talked in wonderful way as if they had done to viewers direct, but almost all of them read the manuscript paper in monotonous tone.

On the other hand, at the single seat constituency of the House of Representative, each of the political parties recorded originally, and the broadcast station broadcast it as it was.

As the government driven by people’s preference of political parties, a non-party candidate and other one from a group which wasn’t allowed as the political party can’t do the campaign broadcast.

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