 Furthermore, long one-party rule by the LDP caused a severe struggle for the party presidential elections.Once a person becomes president of the LDP, he or she will automatically be elected prime minister of Japan, so the presidential election of the LDP means the de facto selection of the prime minister.Consequently, factional politics inside the LDP were more important to LDP leaders than the contest among political parties, as factional leaders in the LDP had to organize a large number of followers and collect substantial political funds in order to win the LDP presidential election and maintain power.