東京都知事選挙（7月7日）には、立候補者数が過去最多の56人で、候補者乱立で有権者は選択に迷いました。
A record 56 candidates are vying for votes in the Tokyo gubernatorial election as the official campaign period kicked off on June 20.
※vie for～～を奪い合う、得ようと張り合う
When voters in Tokyo cast their ballot for governor of the world’s largest city on Sunday, they were spoiled for choice.
※be spoiled for choice どれを選ぼうかとぜいたくな気分を味わう ここでのspoilは「ぜいたくを許す」という意味。
※候補者の乱立a plethora of candidates/a sea of candidates等
期日前投票=early voting/ pre-election-day votingも多く、投票率=voter turnout was 60.62 percentでしたが、白票＝blank vote/balletを投じた人も多かったといいます。その場合、無効票invalid voteになります。
民主主義が暴走したようでしたが、結果は現状維持で、現職の小池百合子氏が予想通りの3期目当選でした。
It might look like democracy run amok.
※run amock 手に負えなくなる、異常な状態になる
※But in fact, the race was profoundly status quo, and the incumbent, Yuriko Koike, as expected, won a third term.
※profoundly深く、完全に ※status quo現状維持 ※incumbent 現職
NHKから国民を守る党は24名を擁立。掲示板スペース不足に掲示板ジャック、過激な政見放送となりました。
NHK kara Kokumin wo Mamoru To, a political organization that ran on an anti-NHK message, fielded 24 candidates. Many billboards in the capital did not have enough space for that many candidates, so makeshift slots were created.
※field（候補者を）たてる、（選手を）守備につける
※makeshift間に合わせの
The "NHK Party" called on its candidates to "hijack" campaign boards with their posters.
タイトル：Poster pranks cause chaos in Tokyo gubernatorial election race
※prank いたずら、悪ふざけ
Tokyo residents say personal publicity stunts have overtaken serious campaigning to a degree never seen before, with nearly nude women in suggestive poses, pets, an AI character and a man practicing his golf swing.
※publicity stunt売名行為
※suggestive思わせぶりな、挑発的な
供託金を払えば誰も立候補が出来ます。（56人中53人は有効投票数の10分の1に達せず供託金300万円没収）
Campaign rules allow anyone who pays a deposit of three million yen to run for governor, and give each candidate two six-minute slots on NHK and the right to post signs on one of 14,000 official election billboards across the city.
結果、蓮舫が3位に落ち込み、次点は元広島安芸高田市市長の石丸伸二氏。ネット世代の取り込みに成功したとされます。
Shinji Ishimaru, a former mayor of Akitakata, Hiroshima Prefecture, put up a good fight in the Tokyo gubernatorial election.
※put up=戦って抵抗する、挑む ・put up a good fight.善戦を見せる。
He gained support from internet-savvy people in their teens and 20s. He is believed to have received many votes from nonaffiliated amid a backdrop of distrust in the existing political parties.
※internet-savvyインターネットに精通した
※nonaffiliated無党派の
