Kim Jong-un storms to victory in North Korean elections with almost 100 per cent of the vote

Voters were given no real choice, with all eligible citizens asked to either approve or reject a single candidate selected by the party.

Turnout was reported to be 99.9 per cent, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KCNA said the result reflected citizens' "ardent desire and self-confidence to reliably defend their glorious state political system".

Kim himself was not up for re-election, but is expected to be reappointed as Chairman of the State Affairs Commission in the coming weeks.

He has held the role since creating it in 2016.

The North Korean leader cast his vote at a coal mine in Chonsong, where state media reported he stressed the importance of the industry to the country’s economy.

Under North Korea’s constitution, elections must be held every five years.

They were originally due in 2024 - five years after the last vote in 2019 - but were delayed to align with the five-year Congress of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the regime’s most important political gathering.

Elections have only been postponed twice before: after Kim Il Sung launched the Korean War in 1950, and following his death in 1994.

In 2023, local elections allowed voters to reject a candidate for the first time.

Around 0.1 per cent reportedly voted against, compared to 0.7 per cent in this election - a sevenfold increase in dissent.

The newly elected assembly will meet on March 22 to review a five-year policy plan, including Kim’s pledge to expand North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and develop more advanced long-range missiles.

While the body formally legislates and manages policy, real power lies with the ruling Workers’ Party, which is controlled by Kim.

Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, has been elevated to department director within the party’s central committee following the election.

She is widely seen as one of the regime’s most powerful figures and has been tipped as a potential caretaker leader until Kim’s daughter and presumed successor, Kim Ju-ae, comes to power.

Kim Ju-ae’s existence was first publicly revealed when former NBA star Dennis Rodman named her in an interview with The Guardian.

She remained out of sight until 2022, when North Korean state television showed her inspecting an intercontinental ballistic missile with her father.

Since then, she has appeared frequently in official media, often pictured in designer clothing and styled hair - luxuries out of reach for ordinary citizens.