Kim Jong Un's Party Claims Near-Total Victory in North Korean Elections

Electoral Results and Voter Participation

In a recent electoral event, Kim Jong Un's Workers' Party of Korea, along with its allies, achieved an overwhelming victory, securing 99.97% of the votes in the 2026 parliamentary elections, as reported by the state-run KCNA. The elections, which took place on March 15, were aimed at selecting members for the 15th Supreme People's Assembly. Official statistics indicated that an impressive 99.99% of registered voters participated, with only a minuscule 0.0037% unable to cast their votes due to being overseas or working at sea, and a mere 0.00003% abstaining from voting.

Among those who voted, 99.93% endorsed the candidates, while 0.07% expressed dissent, a figure that has drawn attention in the context of North Korean elections. According to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's election regulations, 687 representatives, including workers, farmers, intellectuals, service members, and officials, were elected to the assembly. Observers have characterized this electoral process as a 'show election' due to the presence of only one candidate per constituency. Notably, for the first time since 1957, state media acknowledged the existence of opposing votes in a Supreme People's Assembly election.

Reactions to the Dissenting Votes

Among the elected officials was Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, who won in Kallimgil Constituency No. 5. While such overwhelming victories are commonplace in North Korea, the 0.07% of dissenting votes quickly became a topic of discussion online. Social media users responded with sarcasm and humor, with one user stating, 'Moment of silence for the 0.07%.' Another joked, 'Give me the names of those 0.07%,' accompanied by an image of Kim.

Another user quipped, 'In unrelated news, population expected to decrease by 0.07% this summer.' One more comment noted, 'That 0.07% just became the most wanted people in the country,' highlighting the humorous yet serious undertones of the situation.