North Korea goes to polls to approve new parliament lineup

PYONGYANG, North Korea – Millions of North Korean voters, including leader Kim Jong Un, are going to the polls to elect roughly 700 members to the national legislature.

In typical North Korean style, Sunday's vote is more of an endorsement than a competitive contest — voters are presented with just one state-sanctioned candidate per district. They cast ballots to show their approval or, very rarely, disapproval.

The elections, held every five years, are for the entire Supreme People's Assembly, which, on paper at least, is the highest organ of power in North Korea. Delegates come from all over the country and all walks of life.

The candidates are selected by the ruling Korean Workers' Party and a couple of other smaller coalition parties that have seats in the assembly but exercise little independent power.