Akashian presidential election, 1940
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| Turnout | 81,9% | |||||||||||||||
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 Most voted candidate by province | ||||||||||||||||
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A presidential election was held in Akashi on 30 November 1940. It was the country's first presidential election since the Akashian Civil War, and the first direct election for president, a change from the indirect elections of the "old republic".
This was the first direct test for incumbent Yurika Ehara, serving as President and Prime Minister since the civil war ended. She had already led her National Union to a plurality in the Constituent Assembly election in April, and the resulting constitution was approved in an October referendum. She scheduled the presidential election the next month, confident that her mandate would be strengthened.
Many parties were demoralised going into the election, due to exhaustion from the civil war and the emerging party system giving the NU a heavy advantage. The Liberal Party and Social Credit Party sat out the election entirely, while the Socialist Party and Conservative National Party simply nominated their party leaders.
Yurikara won the election with a majority in the first round, and swept all 5 provinces.
Result
| Presidential election, 30 November 1940 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
| Yurika Ehara | National Union | 957.738 | 58,5% | |
| Kozue Yajima | Socialist Party | 330.706 | 20,2% | |
| Zeshin Oda | Agrarian Party | 170.265 | 10,4% | |
| Takeo Kaminaga | Communist Party | 121.150 | 7,4% | |
| Naganori Ōshiro | Conservative National Party | 57.301 | 3,5% | |
| Total | 1.637.159 | 100% | ||
| Registered voters and turnout | 1.998.973 | 81,9% | ||