March 20, IPU Media International Update News: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has once again created a sensation in the country. In the parliamentary elections held for the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim’s party the ‘Workers’ Party of Korea’. achieved a resounding victory, securing a staggering 99.93 percent of the votes. North Korea’s national media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), released the details regarding this outcome. According to global analysts, the Supreme People’s Assembly is the most significant institution in Korea; it serves as the country’s governing parliament. Elections for the 15th Assembly were held in North Korea on the 15th of this month.

In these elections, Kim Jong Un’s party the Workers’ Party of Korea competed alongside other political parties. The Workers’ Party of Korea emerged victorious, capturing a remarkable 99.93 percent of the total votes cast. This implies that his party won in every single constituency where it contested. However, there are also reports circulating that the party actually received 99.97 percent of the votes. Overall, voter turnout in these elections stood at 99.99 percent. One might assume that the remaining minuscule percentage of votes those not cast for Kim were cast against him; however, such a scenario is virtually impossible in that political environment. Of the votes not cast for him, 0.0037 percent were attributed to voters who were unable to cast their ballots because they were working at sea at the time. The remaining 0.00003 percent of voters simply did not cast a vote. It is a well-known fact that in North Korea, there is absolutely no question of anyone raising their voice against Kim. Elections are no exception to this rule. There is simply no such thing as an opposition party there. It is not merely that they fail to win elections; in reality, there is no other party or even another candidate listed on the ballot paper to compete against Kim’s party.

Kim Jong Un and his loyalist leaders pre-select a candidate in advance. Voters are then left with only two options: to accept or to reject that specific candidate. There is no other party leader in the fray. In these elections, if anyone chooses not to cast a vote, it is interpreted as a vote of “no” against the candidate. Until recently, even this option to say “no” did not exist in the country. This marks the first time since 1957 that voters have been granted the opportunity to cast a negative vote. Furthermore, a total of 687 candidates contested these elections and every single one of them won. The elected representatives include workers, farmers, intellectuals, military personnel, and various other officials. Kim, the current supreme leader of North Korea, assumed power in 2011. Since then, he has faced absolutely no opposition within the country.

** Kim Jong Un Has Transformed North Korea into an Autocracy **

According to reports, this marks the first time since 1957 that North Korean state media has acknowledged the existence of dissenting votes in parliamentary elections. Among those elected, Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, secured a victory representing Constituency No. 5 (Kallimgil). Kim assumed the reins of North Korea following the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011. He has remained in office ever since. In 2019, Kim amended North Korea’s constitution to further consolidate his position. He was officially designated as the Head of State. Furthermore, he transformed his authority over the government, the military, and state institutions into an ‘absolute dictatorship.’

— M Venkata T Reddy, News Editor and Investigative Journalist.