North Korea on January 7 announced that it will hold parliamentary election in the country in March, 2009. The country was supposed to go on polls in 2008 but the communist nation failed to hold one because of the bad health condition of Kim Jong II. The 66-year-old Kim is said to have suffered a stroke in August last year. The officials of North Korea dismissed the news of Kim's bad health and since early October stream of photos and footage of him in public activities, such as visits to military units, farms and factories have been released. However, most of them did not specify an exact location or date.

 

The communist country holds a parliamentary election every five years and the last one took place in August 2003. According to official sources at Pyongyang the election of deputies to the 12th Supreme People's Assembly will be held on March 8. The official sources did not provide any further detail. The announcement of parliamentary elections indicates that Kim's health is improving.

 

It is only a formality to hold elections in N Korea as candidates are hand-picked by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and totalitarian leader Kim. The legislature usually meets once or twice a year to rubber-stamp budgets or other decisions. During 2003 elections, 687 deputies, including Kim, were elected with total support. Kim has been ruling the country since he took over the reign from his father and national founder Kim Il Sung who passed away in 1994.