51.   Smith, an unflinching conservative who had been seeking the GOP presidential nomination, quit the party in July with a blast of vitriol.

52.   Smith, who had been seeking the GOP presidential nomination, quit the party in July with a blast at the party.

53.   That ended when he quit the party in March after corruption allegations surfaced.

54.   The daily Sabah said seven Welfare deputies were about to quit the party.

55.   The Financial Times, a respected business daily, on Friday predicted several pro-European Tory lawmakers will quit the party.

56.   The lawmaker, Jamal Karsli, has since quit the party.

57.   The week before that, fellow LDP lawmaker Muneo Suzuki also quit the party in humiliation.

58.   Threatened with arrest or the loss of jobs, homes and pensions, scores of others have quit the party.

59.   Those who quit the party and renounce politics are released.

60.   Two even quit the party to run against him, while China accused him of preparing to declare independence.