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thumb|A [[Propaganda in North Korea|propaganda poster in Pyongyang with the slogan "Let's all vote yes!" ("모두다 찬성투표 하자!")]]

thumb|If the voter wishes to cross off the name of the candidate it must be done with a red pen next to the ballot box.

Elections in North Korea are held every four-to-five years for the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the country's national legislature, and every four years for Local People's Assemblies. Each candidate is selected by the Workers' Party of Korea. Voters may either submit the ballot unaltered as a vote of approval, or cross out the name on the ballot to disapprove the candidate. The vast majority of candidates come from the Workers' Party of Korea.

Procedure

In reply to a question put forth by Michael Marshall, Li Chun Sik of North Korea stated at a meeting of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) of the Inter-Parliamentary Union: Elections are nominally conducted by secret ballot, although in practice the voting process affords no secrecy for dissent. Voting is mandatory and turnout is habitually near 100%. After elections, North Korea submits data to the United Nations on the seat breakup between the WPK and the minor parties. According to North Korea historian Fyodor Tertitskiy, this data is likely falsified as deputies are simply described as WPK members inside North Korea, without mentions of the smaller parties.

Members of the Supreme People's Assembly are elected to five-year terms, and meet for SPA sessions up to ten days per year.

In 2023, the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly amended and supplemented North Korea's election law. Minju Choson, the newspaper of the cabinet and the SPA Standing Committee, stated that North Korea would implement a primary-like system in some constituencies, fielding two candidates to pick the nominee in the single-candidate main elections for People's Assemblies at every level. The candidates would be reviewed for qualifications such as loyalty and "revolutionary mindset". The local elections would also drop using the voting system where the voter would cross off the candidate's name to vote against them, switching to using two different colored ballot boxes for “yes” and “no” votes.

Local elections

Local elections have been held since 1999. The people elect representatives to city, county, and provincial people's assemblies in local elections every four years. In 2023, the introduction of a two-candidate method in some localities, with a primary election to elect the final candidate for the local assembly in these areas, commenced as a trial method.

Regarding this, scholar Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul stated that "They have a dual system: there is a mayor/governor, technically elected (but actually appointed), and there is a city/province party secretary. It is the latter who has real power, but mayor/governor can be important in some cases as long as he knows his proper place and does not challenge the Workers' Party of Korea secretary."

Criticism

The elections have been variously described as show elections or a political census. Seats are uncompetitive as all candidates are chosen by the Democratic Front for the Reunification of Korea. According to Roger Cavazos, a retired US army lieutenant-colonel, voting against the official candidate, or refusing to vote at all, is considered an act of treason, and those who do face the loss of their jobs and housing, along with extra surveillance. Several North Korean defectors have corroborated the danger voting against the official candidate or abstaining from voting supposes.

Result in history

1948 North Korean parliamentary election

2026 North Korean parliamentary election

Past elections

Election of Deputies

  • 1947
  • 1948
  • 1957
  • 1962
  • 1967
  • 1972
  • 1977
  • 1982
  • 1986
  • 1990
  • 1998
  • 2003
  • 2009
  • 2014
  • 2019
  • 2026

By-elections

  • 1959

Local elections

  • 1946
  • 1947
  • 1949
  • 1950
  • 1956
  • 1959
  • 1963
  • 1967
  • 1972
  • 1975
  • 1977
  • 1979
  • 1981
  • 1983
  • 1985
  • 1987
  • 1989
  • 1991
  • 1993
  • 1999
  • 2003
  • 2007
  • 2011
  • 2015
  • 2019
  • 2023

See also

  • Politics of North Korea
  • List of political parties in North Korea

Notes