North Koreans voted yesterday to elect legislators to the country’s rubber-stamp parliament — a poll outside observers are watching closely for hints leader Kim Jong-il may be grooming a successor.
The election is the first since Kim, 67, reportedly suffered a stroke in August. Polls scheduled for last year were postponed as Kim disappeared from the public eye, sparking concerns that the authoritarian leader’s sudden death could trigger instability in the impoverished country.
But Kim appears to have recovered, South Korean officials say, and has been making a busy tour of factories, farming collectives and military units around the country. Still, this year’s election is being watched closely for any sign he is preparing to name a successor.
Kim’s 26-year-old son, Kim Jong-un, is reportedly running for a seat in what analysts say would be a strong sign he is being groomed to inherit power from his father.
The polls come as the isolated North faces off against the US and other regional powers over its refusal to abide by a 2007 disarmament pact, and its preparation to launch what it says is a satellite but many fear will actually be a long-range missile.
North Korea also is warning the South and the US not to hold upcoming joint military drills it sees as a precursor to an attack on the North, and has threatened South Korean passenger jets flying near its airspace if the exercises go ahead today. Several airlines have rerouted flights to steer clear of North Korean airspace.
Since assembly members hold key party, government and military posts, the results of yesterday’s vote are expected to provide a peek into who will ascend to the North’s ruling elite.
Parliament has 687 deputies including Kim Jong-il, who has led the country since his father’s death in 1994 and is running for his third five-year term. Experts predict he will fill the new parliament with finance-savvy figures and close associates to help revive the country’s shattered economy and further consolidate his military and political base.
Voter turnout was more than 93 percent by 2pm, Korean Central News Agency said.
The elections for five-year terms are largely a formality since candidates are widely believed to be hand-picked by Kim Jong-il and the ruling Workers’ Party, and meet only a few times a year to rubber-stamp bills. Only one candidate runs in each constituency.
Footage aired on state TV showed hundreds of soldiers dancing and singing in the plaza outside the polling booth at Constituency No. 333, where Kim Jong-il was the sole candidate running for a seat.
They danced and clapped to a brass band and a singing military trio on a nearby stage.
Inside, soldiers waited in line for their ballots, which they placed solemnly with both hands in a white box flanked by red flowers. The name “Kim Jong-il” was visible in red on the ballots.
They then gazed up at the portraits of Kim Jong-il and his father, North Korea founder Kim Il-sung, before backing away respectfully.
“Our Korean People’s Army personnel will ... dedicate our lives and safeguard our dear supreme commander and comrade,” said Jung Ryong-ho, a soldier.
The election is officially a secret vote. But in reality, if a voter opposes the one candidate listed, they must go to a special booth to cross out the name before placing it in a ballot box — an act of rebellion defectors say no North Korean would dare commit.
Polls were expected to close at 6pm and results are expected today.
US President Barack Obama dispatched his new envoy on North Korea to discuss the country with his counterparts in the region. Stephen Bosworth, who arrived in Seoul on Saturday, urged the North to refrain from making further threats and to return to the negotiation table.
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