UPDATE - Voting ends in Japanese elections, ballot tallying begins

UPDATE: CHANGES HEADLINE, ADDS END OF VOTING

By Anadolu staff

Polling officially ended across Japan at 8 pm local time (1100GMT) on Sunday after millions of voters cast ballots in the country's snap elections.

The vote count has begun, a process that may last for several hours. Official results in the House of Representatives elections are expected to be announced Monday.

Over 45,000 polling stations were established across the country for some 105 million eligible voters to cast ballots.

Voting began Sunday morning around 7 am local time (2200GMT Saturday) across the country as new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba is seeking a new mandate amid scrutiny over scandals within the ruling party.

The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), alongside its coalition partner, Komeito, wants to keep its majority in the 465-member House of Representatives.

Media polls, however, show them facing a tough challenge, according to Tokyo-based Kyodo News.

Voters cast two ballots – one for single-seat constituency candidates and another for party proportional representation.

More than 1,300 candidates vied for the 465 seats, including 289 in single-seat constituencies and 176 in proportional representation.

Ishiba, who just took office on Oct. 1, pledged to tackle inflation and strengthen the country’s defense.

But his party faces headwinds over funding scandals.

The opposition, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, is seeking to capitalize on public discontent to challenge the ruling bloc’s dominance.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid