offtopic : elections in North Korea are a hoot .. Elections in North Korea are held every five years. At the national level, North Koreans elect a legislature, the Supreme Peoples Assembly (SPA). In addition to the Supreme Peoples Assembly, the people elect representatives to city, county, and provincial peoples assemblies. All seats are won by the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland.The Workers Party of Korea dominates the Front and held 87.5% of the seats, with 7.4% for the Korean Social Democratic Party, 3.2% for the Chondoist Chongu Party, and 1.9% for independent deputies.According to official reports, turnout is near 100%, and approval of the Democratic Fronts candidates is unanimous or nearly so. The three political parties of North Korea--the Workers Party, the Korean Social Democratic Party, and the Chondoist Chongu Party, all participate in the front. Other member organizations include social groups and youth groups, such as the Korean Childrens Union, the Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League, Young Pioneer Corps, the Korean Democratic Womens League and the Korean Red cross. In practice, the front is completely subservient to the Workers Party[citation needed]. As in all other Communist countries where other parties were nominally permitted, the two minor parties in the front must accept the Workers Partys leading role as a condition of being allowed to exist. All candidates for elective office must be members of the front, and are elected by it; mass meetings are held to decide which candidates will be nominated and their names can go on the ballot paper only with the approval of the meeting. While candidates could be nominated by anyone, it was the practice for all candidates to be nominated by the parties. These nominations were examined by the [Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland] and then by the Central Electoral Committee, which allocated candidates to seats. The candidate in each seat was then considered by the electors in meetings at the workplace or similar, and on election day the electors could then indicate approval or disapproval of the candidate on the ballot paper. ” Only one candidate appears on the ballot. Elections are ostensibly conducted by secret ballot, and a voter may cross off the candidates name to vote against him, but must do so in a special booth without any secrecy
Posted on: Sun, 05 Oct 2014 06:31:17 +0000
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