| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Choe Go In Min Hoe Ui / Supreme People's Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
8 March 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the Supreme People's Assembly. |
On 7 January 2009, the State-run news agency announced that elections to the Supreme People's Assembly, which had been due by August 2008, would be held on 8 March. Although the authorities did not announce any official reasons, it is widely believed that the elections were delayed due to the deteriorating health of the 67-year-old leader of the country, Kim Jong-il.
Mr. Kim, who inherited power from his father, Kim Il-sung in 1994, is General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, and Chairman of the National Defence Commission. He had reportedly suffered a stroke in August 2008. The international media focused on the composition of the new Supreme People's Assembly, trying to obtain any signs of a political shift, in particular who would be the next leader of the country, which has been under international pressure to abandon its nuclear and missile programmes.
As in the previous elections, only one candidate was listed on the ballot paper in each constituency. Officially, voters' meetings are held in all the constituencies across the country to nominate candidates. It is widely believed that most candidates were hand-picked by Mr. Kim, the Workers' Party of Korea and the military. Initially, it was reported that Mr. Kim Jong-un. Mr. Kim's third son, was among the candidates. However, Mr. Kim reportedly renounced appearing to openly favour his third son for fear of triggering an internal power struggle among those vying for the leader's post.
The authorities, in official publications, stated that they wanted to achieve a powerful North Korea by 2012, the 100th anniversary of the birth of the country's founding leader, Mr. Kim Il-sung. The Workers' Party of Korea, to this end, called on citizens to vote massively in the elections to "help enhance the role and function of the Government ".
According the State-run news agency, 99.98 per cent of the registered voters turned out at the polls and 100 per cent of the participants voted for the proposed candidates.
The Workers' Party of Korea won 606 seats, followed by the Korean Social Democratic Party with 50 seats. The Chondoist Chongu Party, which comprises followers of the Chondogyo religion ('Heavenly Way'), took 22. The remainder went to independents and an association.
A total of 367 members were re elected; 21 former members who had held seats in the legislature elected before 1998 were also re-elected. These re-elected members included Mr. Kim Jong-il and his close aides, such as Mr. Kim Yong-nam, the Head of State (the second highest office in the country); Mr. Jang Song-thaek, Head of the Workers' Party's administrative department; and Mr. Kang Sok-ju, the first deputy Foreign Minister and Mr. Kim's brother-in-law.
The percentage of first-time members was recorded at 43.5 per cent (299 members), down from 48.2 per cent in the 2003 elections. In contrast to 2003, when many military officials had reportedly been elected, the 2009 elections saw an increase in the number of technocrats and financial experts. 107 women were elected.
The newly elected Supreme People's Assembly held its first session on 9 April, and re-elected Mr. Choe Thae Bok as the Speaker. It re-elected Mr. Kim Jong-il as Chairman of the National Defence Commission. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 8 March 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
99.98%
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Number of women |
|
|
|
| Workers' Party of Korea |
606
|
85 |
|
|
|
| Korean Social Democratic Party |
50
|
12 |
|
|
|
| Chondoist Chongu Party |
22
|
9 |
|
|
|
| General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) |
6
|
1 |
|
|
|
| Independents |
3
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
580
107
15.57%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Other |
427 |
| Soldiers |
116 |
| Workers |
75 |
| Farmers |
69 |
|
| Comments |
Distribution of seats according to age
Below 35 years old: 7
Between 36 and 55 years old: 333
Over 56 years old: 347
Sources:
- Permanent Mission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva (08.09.2009)
- http://www.kcna.co.jp
- http://www.korea-dpr.com/ |
|
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
