North Korea Acknowledges Dissenting Votes in Rare Admission
No Votes Cast in Past Elections, Raising Questions About Electoral System
Supreme People's Assembly Elections Held Every Four to Five Years
SEOUL, South Korea - North Korea has made a rare mention of dissenting votes in recent elections, acknowledging that some citizens cast negative ballots in the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) elections.
The admission, reported by Reuters, comes as a surprise given that previous elections in North Korea have consistently resulted in unanimous support for the ruling Workers' Party of Korea. Local elections have been held since 1999, but it is unclear if dissenting votes have ever been acknowledged before.
SPA elections are held every four to five years, and citizens are presented with two ballot boxes: one white for "Yes" and one black for "No." According to Reuters, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that a small number of voters chose the black box in the recent SPA elections.
The KCNA did not provide any specific details on the number or percentage of dissenting votes, but the admission suggests that there may be some level of dissent within the tightly controlled North Korean society.
Analysts say the acknowledgment of dissenting votes could be an attempt by the North Korean government to demonstrate transparency and legitimacy, or it could be a sign of growing dissatisfaction among the population.
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