Amid lower-than-expected voter turnout, the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling triumvirate appeared to have secured at least a simple majority in the Lower House in the general election held Sunday, exit polls show.

The results indicate that Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori, despite low public support for his Cabinet in earlier media surveys, would most likely hold on to his post and host Group of Eight summit in Okinawa next month.

Exit polls by commercial TV stations released right after polling stations closed at 8 p.m. showed Mori's LDP winning about 230 to 250 of the 480 seats contested — compared with 271 seats the party had in the 500-seat chamber before it was dissolved.