North Koreans cast ballots in local elections

Jul 19, 2015 7:28 PM PHT

Agence France-Presse

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North Koreans cast ballots in local elections

EPA

All polling stations were 'clad in a festive atmosphere' with voters dancing and singing

SEOUL, South Korea – North Koreans cast ballots Sunday to elect new representatives put forward by the ruling party for assemblies at provincial, city and county levels, state media said.

All polling stations were “clad in a festive atmosphere” with voters dancing and singing, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.

Typically, 99% of North Korean voters in the de facto single-party state take part in elections and 99% of them cast “yes” votes for uncontested candidates.

In 2011, 28,116 representatives were elected as deputies to local assemblies with not a single vote of opposition to the candidates.

During each four-year term, the local assemblies convene once or twice a year to approve budgets and endorse leaders appointed by the ruling party.

The North, which the Kim dynasty has ruled with an iron fist for more than 6 decades, held parliamentary elections in 2014. – Rappler.com