渡辺喜美氏が政界引退表明　「第三極のもくろみ終了」

　無所属の渡辺喜美参院議員は２１日、自身のフェイスブックで、政界を引退する意向を明らかにした。「第三極をつくるもくろみは終了した」などと記し、「元みんなの党の皆さまには期待に応えることができず、誠に申し訳ない」とした。２２日公示の参院選で改選となる渡辺氏はぎりぎりまで出馬を模索したが断念した。
　渡辺氏は１９９６年衆院選で自民党から出馬し初当選。連続当選６回。安倍、福田両内閣で行政改革担当相などを歴任した。２００９年に離党しみんなの党を結成したが、同党解党後の１４年衆院選で落選。１６年参院選で旧おおさか維新の会から比例代表で出馬して政界復帰し、１７年から無所属で活動していた。（2022/06/21-15:14）

Former administrative reform minister Yoshimi Watanabe on Tuesday expressed his intention to retire from politics as he gave up running for another six-year term in the upcoming House of Councillors election.
   In a Facebook post, Watanabe said his efforts to form "a third force" in national politics had ended and apologized to former members of Your Party, a now-defunct party he once led.
   Watanabe, then a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, won his first parliamentary seat in the 1996 House of Representatives election. He was victorious in six straight Lower House elections.
   He held cabinet posts including administrative reform minister under prime ministers Shinzo Abe and Yasuo Fukuda.
   In 2009, Watanabe left the LDP and formed Your Party. After the dissolution of Your Party, he lost his seat in the 2014 Lower House election.