Kim Jong Un sweeps North Korea polls with "99.93 per cent" mandate

Seoul [South Korea], March 18 (ANI): In North Korea's 2026 parliamentary elections, Kim Jong Un achieved a landslide win as the Workers' Party of Korea and its coalition partners reportedly captured 99.93 per cent of the ballot and every available seat, according to Yonhap News Agency, which cited state media reports.
With a reported turnout of 99.99 per cent, the polls were conducted on March 15 to select deputies for the 15th Supreme People's Assembly.
Following the results, Pyongyang is scheduled to hold the inaugural session of the new assembly to decide on the election of state leadership and deliberate on a major revision to the constitution.
This upcoming legislative gathering follows the Ninth Congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea conducted last month.
As reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the assembly will formally address the election of the president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the revision and supplement of the Socialist Constitution.
According to Yonhap News Agency, a primary focus for the session is whether the North will officially codify its hostile stance toward the South, defining the two Koreas as two countries hostile to each other in its founding document.
Observers are also waiting to see if Kim Jong Un will deliver new policy directions regarding the nation's external relations.
The session is widely expected to re-elect Kim as the supreme leader, confirming his role as the head of the State Affairs Commission.
While the assembly is frequently characterised as a rubber-stamp parliament, it remains the essential body for legalising decisions made by the ruling party leadership.
The latest election list, as noted by Yonhap News Agency, suggests a significant shift in the internal power structure, with over 70 per cent of the deputies being replaced since the previous term.
This far-reaching personnel reshuffle is interpreted by experts as an effort to further consolidate Kim's absolute authority.
Among the 687 deputies confirmed is Jo Yong-won, a prominent aide to Kim, who is tipped to become the chairman of the assembly's standing committee.
Conversely, the former chairman, Choe Ryong-hae, was relieved of the post during the recent party congress and was notably absent from the new parliamentary list.
The newly elected deputies also include Kim's influential sister, Kim Yo-jong, and Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
State media described these representatives as state political activists chosen from the ranks of workers, farmers, and officials to carry out the party's strategic mission.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the KCNA reported that 0.07 per cent of the electorate voted against the candidates.
This inclusion of opposing votes is seen as a propaganda tactic to suggest a genuine right to object, despite the fact that North Korean elections are largely regarded as a non-secret formality. (ANI)