N. Korea Holds Elections (Sort Of)

Todays marks the first parliamentary elections in North Korea under Kim Jong Un, which, unsurprisingly, are pretty much the opposite of democratic. Every five years, North Koreans head to the ballot box and vote in one of 687 districts, each of which has only one candidate as an option. Kim is listed as a candidate for Mount Paekdu, which is mythologized in party propaganda as the birthplace of Kim Jong-il. His odds for a win are extremely likely, or better yet, completely certain. In the last elections in 2009, the North Korean government reported 99 percent turnout and 100 percent voter support for the given candidates. Shocker.