also: しきゃくこうほ
noun
assassin candidate; candidate fielded to oust a same-party incumbent
A political term for a candidate put forward by a party specifically to defeat an incumbent from the same party, often in a primary or intra-party contest. The word carries a strong metaphorical sense of 'assassin' targeting a political rival.
次の選挙で、党は現職を倒すために刺客候補を立てた。
In the next election, the party fielded an assassin candidate to defeat the incumbent.
刺客候補として無所属で出馬したが、結局現職に敗れた。
He ran as an independent assassin candidate, but ultimately lost to the incumbent.
Compound of 刺客 (shikaku, 'assassin') and 候補 (kōho, 'candidate'). The term uses the metaphor of an assassin to describe a candidate whose primary purpose is to eliminate a political rival within the same party.