A large majority of local Liberal Democratic Party chapters plan to hold primaries to select a new leader and the country's prime minister ahead of a party election this month, it was found Thursday.

The primaries would serve to give rank-and-file members of the ruling party a say in choosing the successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who last week announced his impending resignation for health reasons.

The plans of at least 42 of the party's 47 prefectural chapters come amid simmering opposition to the LDP leadership's decision earlier this week to give greater weight to votes cast by lawmakers in the Sept. 14 election.