The general election campaign will begin on Tuesday

Campaigning for the Oct. 27 lower house election begins Tuesday as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, just over two weeks after taking office on Oct. 1, raises the question of confidence in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in the hands of the voters.

Rocked by a political funds scandal that engulfed the party and led to the dissolution of most of its factions, the LDP faces its toughest election since 2012, when it ousted the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan , progenitor of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. (CDP) — to regain control of the government.

The unpopular Ishiba, who called a snap election on Oct. 9, faces a tough challenge to convince skeptical voters that the party has cleaned house by deciding not to back a dozen lawmakers associated with the party. scandal A Kyodo News poll conducted over the weekend showed a 42 percent approval rating for the Ishiba administration, down from 50.7 percent support recorded in a poll conducted on the 1st and 2nd ‘October just after its constitution.