Democracy, DPRK style

North Korea holds election

North Koreans went to the polls yesterday for an election in which there could be only one winner.

Leader Kim Jong Un’s ruling Workers’ Party has an iron grip on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the isolated, nuclear-armed country is officially known.

But every five years it holds an election for the rubber stamp legislature, known as the Supreme People’s Assembly.

And in keeping with one of Pyongyang’s most enduring slogans—“Single-minded unity”—there is only one approved name on each of the red ballot papers.

With portraits of the leader’s father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung looking down on every ballot box, voters lined up to drop their slips inside. There is a pencil in the panelled voting booths for anyone who might wish to register dissent by crossing out a candidate’s name. But no one does. Turnout last time was 99.97 percent, according to the official KCNA news agency—only those who were abroad or “working in oceans” did not take part. And the vote was 100 percent in favour of the named candidates, a result unmatched anywhere else in the world.

“Our society is one in which the people are gathered around the respected Supreme Leader with a single mind,” election official Ko Kyong Hak told AFP as voters queued at the 3.26 Pyongyang Cable Factory.

Participation in the election was a citizen’s obligation, he said, “and there are no people who reject a candidate”. An editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling party, reinforced the message. Voters “should cast approval ballots with their loyalty to the party and the leader, absolute support to the DPRK government and the will to share their destiny with socialism to the last”, it said.

 

Democracy, DPRK style

North Korea holds election

North Koreans went to the polls yesterday for an election in which there could be only one winner. Leader Kim Jong Uns ruling Workers Party has an iron grip on the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, as the isolated, nuclear-armed country is officially known. But every five years it holds an election for the rubber stamp legislature, known as the Supreme Peoples Assembly. And in keeping with one of Pyongyangs most enduring slogansSingle-minded unitythere is only one approved name on each of the red ballot papers. With portraits of the leaders father Kim Jong Il and grandfather Kim Il Sung looking down on every ballot box, voters lined up to drop their slips inside. There is a pencil in the panelled voting booths for anyone who might wish to register dissent by crossing out a candidates name. But no one does. Turnout last time was 99.97 percent, according to the official KCNA news agencyonly those who were abroad or working in oceans did not take part. And the vote was 100 percent in favour of the named candidates, a result unmatched anywhere else in the world. Our society is one in which the people are gathered around the respected Supreme Leader with a single mind, election official Ko Kyong Hak told AFP as voters queued at the 3.26 Pyongyang Cable Factory. Participation in the election was a citizens obligation, he said, and there are no people who reject a candidate. An editorial in the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of the ruling party, reinforced the message. Voters should cast approval ballots with their loyalty to the party and the leader, absolute support to the DPRK government and the will to share their destiny with socialism to the last, it said.