Kan announced his intention to resign on 10 August 2011. On 26 August, with passage of a debt bill and the renewable Energy bill as final conditions, Kan expected "to see his successor in office [within the] week, according to a Kyodo news report, which cited cabinet ministers". At the same time, Seiji Maehara, who had supported Kan in 2010, was reported to have announced his intention to run to succeed Kan. Maehara is seen as the potential DPJ candidate most popular with the voters at the time. Several other cabinet members joined the race, and the election of the DPJ successor was scheduled for 29 August. At that time, Yoshihiko Noda, most recently Finance minister, was elected as the new DPJ leader and, as leader of the largest party in the Diet, became prime minister as well.