Kim Jong Un was 're-elected' North Korea's leader

GlobalPost

With no one else on the ballot and not a single dissenting vote, Kim Jong Un has been “re-elected” leader of North Korea.

North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament met Wednesday to reaffirm Kim as First Chairman of the National Defense Commission, the most powerful body in the country. 

The rare meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly came after North Koreans went to the polls last month to cast their "yes" or "no" vote for deputies in a predetermined "election" that's held once every five years.

It was the first such election since Kim took power following the death of his father Kim Jong Il in December 2011. 

Not surprisingly, none of the state-appointed candidates were opposed and all were re-elected with 100 percent support.

Kim also managed a perfect turnout in his district, which is located on Mount Paekdu, the supposed “sacred” birthplace of his father. 

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This was a show of "absolute support and trust of all service personnel and people in him," the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

After confirming his re-election, "all the deputies and participants in the session broke into stormy cheers of 'hurrah!', extending the highest glory and warmest congratulations to him." 

Kim holds a number of titles in North Korea. He’s the First Secretary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and "supreme commander" of the Korean People’s Army. But it’s his position as head of the National Defense Commission that really counts, reports said. 

Wednesday’s meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly was being closely watched by analysts for personnel changes inside the secretive regime following the execution in December of Kim’s uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who had been considered the second most powerful person in the country.

Jang served as vice chairman of the NDC before he was accused of crimes including treason.

Observers expect Kim to consolidate his power by appointing younger, more loyal cadres to top governing positions left vacant following a series of purges.

The parliamentary session, which usually only lasts one day, comes amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

North Korea last month test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles, a move quickly condemned by Washington as "troubling and provocative."

North and South Korea also exchanged fire across their disputed western sea border last week after Pyongyang dropped some 100 shells in South Korean territorial waters during a live-fire drill.

More from GlobalPost: Why North Korea test fired medium range missiles today

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