The next Liberal Democratic Party president will be chosen through a "full-scale vote," with the party’s grassroots base and its sitting parliamentarians holding the same weight in the first round, the party said Tuesday.

As a result, full mobilization of the party’s network will give the upper hand to candidates who enjoy high popularity with the party’s rank-and-file members, and in turn, the public.

Candidates will contest for a total of 590 votes — 295 for incumbent party lawmakers from both houses of parliament and 295 proportionally assigned to grassroots members affiliated with prefectural chapters.