The 2023 North Korean local elections were held on 26 March 2023 to elect deputies to the country’s local people's assemblies at the provincial, city, county and district levels. The elections were organized by the Central Election Committee of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Background
Local elections in the DPRK are scheduled every four years and are presented by the state as a means of demonstrating popular participation in the socialist system. Candidates are selected by the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and affiliated mass organizations; no independent or opposition candidates are permitted.
Electoral process
- Candidate nomination: All candidates are pre‑selected by the WPK and related organizations.
- Voting: Voters receive a ballot containing a single name for each seat. A vote is cast by dropping the ballot into a ballot box; a “yes” vote is indicated by leaving the ballot unchanged, while a “no” vote requires crossing out the name.
- Turnout and results: According to KCNA, turnout was reported at 99.99 % and all candidates were elected with 100 % of the votes cast in their favor.
Scope of the election
The elections filled seats in the following bodies:
- Provincial People’s Assemblies (nine provinces).
- Municipal (city) People’s Assemblies.
- County and district People’s Assemblies.
The total number of seats contested was similar to previous cycles, amounting to roughly 27 000 positions across the various levels of local government.
Outcomes and significance
- Political control: The elected deputies are expected to implement policies formulated by the WPK and to convey local concerns to higher authorities, although the assemblies have limited autonomous decision‑making power.
- Domestic narrative: KCNA framed the election as evidence of the “people’s confidence in the leadership of Kim Jong un” and of the “prosperity of the socialist system.”
- International response: Foreign governments and human‑rights organizations reiterated their view that the elections lack genuine competition and do not meet international standards for free and fair elections.
Observations by scholars
Academic analyses describe the DPRK’s local elections as a ritualistic component of the state’s political architecture, intended to legitimize the ruling party’s monopoly on power rather than to provide a mechanism for policy competition or public accountability.
References
- Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports, 26 March 2023.
- International monitoring statements, United Nations Human Rights Council, 2023 session.
- Academic literature on North Korean electoral practices (e.g., Lankov, Andrei; “The Real North Korea,” 2023).
