Akashian presidential election, 1940

Akashian presidential election, 1940

30 November 1940
Turnout	81,9%
Candidate Yurika Ehara Kozue Yajima Party NU SP Popular vote 957.738 330.706 Percentage 58,5% 20,2%
Most voted candidate by province
President before election Yurika Ehara NU President after election Yurika Ehara NU

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%