自民黨衆議院候選人「公開招募制度」的成立與轉變

The Establishment and Change of the“Open Recruitment System”for LDP’s House of Representatives Candidates

自民黨在檢討2003年眾議院選舉的敗選以及民主黨的崛起後，決定於2004年12月制訂「公開招募制度」，企圖替新人從政打開一條路徑，以及抹去「世襲政治」的包袱。雖然以往有少數的地方都道府縣連曾經自主性地舉辦過公開招募制度甄選候選人，不過這次由黨中央來制訂統一的標準，是黨史上的第一次。
以往關於自民黨推出候選人的研究，大多集中在選舉制度改變後決定權的轉移、公開招募制度是否促進國會議員的多元化，以及公開招募制度是否與黨中央集權相互牴觸等三面向，並未多加論及公開招募制度的成立過程與變化。本文主要論述公開招募制度的成立緣由丶制度設計，以及制度在實際運用上產生的變化。
本文的研究發現有三：一是從實施的結果來看，自民黨的公開招募制度受到選民的肯定。二是公開招募制度在排除「世襲政治」的目的下，原本應該禁止世襲候選人，但是黨中央在追求勝選的現實下，政策立場不明確，給予了世襲候選人利用的空間。三是雖然選舉制度改革後，候選人的決定權有移往中央的現象，但是都道府縣連的影響力依然不容忽視。

In response to their defeat in the House of Representatives election in 2003 and the emergence of the Democratic Party, the LDP established an“open recruitment system”in December 2004 to provide a path for new candidates and reduce the influence of“hereditary politics.”Though some local constituencies had voluntarily held open recruitment to select candidates in the past, it was the first time that the party central committee formulated unified standards in the party history.
Previous studies have focused on three aspects of the LDP’s launch of candidates: (1) the transfer of decision-making power following the reform of the electoral system, (2) whether the open recruitment system has increased diversity among members of Congress, and (3) whether the open recruitment system conflicts with the party’s centralized structure. However, little attention has been paid to the formulation process and subsequent changes to the open recruitment system. This article addresses this gap by examining the reasons behind the system’s establishment, the design of the system, and the changes it has undergone over time.
The study reveals three key findings. First, the open recruitment system has been well-received by voters, as evidenced by the election results. Second, while the system was designed to eliminate“hereditary politics,”its unclear policy stance has allowed some hereditary candidates to take advantage of the system to secure candidacy. Third, despite the transfer of candidate selection authority to the party central committee following the electoral system reform, local constituencies still wield significant influence.