asset, Maehara coordinated with Koike on DP candidates' nominations for the election. Koike agreed to endorse DP candidates and Maehara effectively disbanded the party in order to allow the candidates run under the Kibō banner. However, despite Maehara's request, Koike imposed an ideological filter that effectively barred liberal-leaning members of the DP, such as Yukio Edano, from joining Kibō. This led Edano to form the Constitutional Democratic Party less than three weeks before election to house liberal DP members. Maehara himself ran as independent. Koike's multiple blunders during the campaign led Kibō to fall well short of high initial expectations, becoming the second largest opposition party behind the Edano-led CDP. Maehara, whose political gamble had backfired, was under heavy pressure to resign from his position as DP president. Maehara resigned from his post and from the party on 28 October 2017, ending his tumultuous second term as leader of the Democratic Party. Post 2017 election Maehara joined Kibō in November 2017. When Kibō merged with the Democratic Party in May 2018 to form the Democratic Party for the People, Maehara also joined the DPP. References External links |- |- |- |- |- 1962 births Living people Kyoto University alumni Democratic Party of Japan politicians Foreign ministers of Japan Ministers of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan Japan New Party politicians Members of the House of Representatives (Japan) People from Kyoto New Party Sakigake politicians 21st-century Japanese politicians Members of the Kyoto Prefectural Assembly Politicians from Kyoto Prefecture