North Korea Acknowledges Dissenting Votes in Elections for First Time
Voters Drop Ballots into White Box for "Yes" and Black Box for "No"
Elections Held in March 2019 to Elect Members of 14th Supreme People's Assembly
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) - North Korea has made a rare mention of dissenting votes in recent elections, acknowledging that some voters have cast ballots for "No" instead of the traditional "Yes."
According to North Korea's official news agency KCNA, voters at the March 10 elections for the Supreme People's Assembly, the country's parliament, had the option to drop their ballots into one of two boxes: white for "Yes" and black for "No." Previously, it was widely believed that all voters were expected to vote for "Yes."
The KCNA report did not provide any specific figures on the number of dissenting votes, but it stated that "some" voters "exercised their right to vote against the agreed-upon candidates." This is the first time that North Korean authorities have publicly acknowledged that citizens have the right to vote "No."
The revelation has raised questions about the political climate in North Korea and the extent to which citizens are willing to dissent. It is possible that the government's acknowledgment of dissenting votes is an attempt to address criticism from international observers who have questioned the fairness of North Korean elections.
Despite the reported dissenting votes, the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) won all 687 seats in the Supreme People's Assembly. This result is not surprising, given that the WPK is the only legal political party in North Korea.
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