Seoul, March 4 (NationPress) North Korea is set to hold elections for its parliament, the Supreme People's Assembly, later this month, as reported by state media on Wednesday, marking a significant step following a recent party congress.

The elections for members of the 15th Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) are scheduled for March 15, according to the Korean Central News Agency, which referenced a decision made by the parliamentary standing committee.

This new parliamentary formation comes after a week-long congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea that took place last month, which is recognized as the nation's highest decision-making body, where essential policy objectives for the upcoming five years were established.

Typically, North Korea conducts a parliamentary session following a party congress to translate the party's resolutions into legislation and to execute a personnel reshuffle.

The forthcoming parliamentary session is anticipated to witness Choe Ryong-hae, the chairman of the SPA standing committee, possibly stepping down after being excluded from the party's central committee, along with several senior officials, indicating a significant generational leadership change.

Jo Yong-won, a party secretary regarded as a close aide to leader Kim Jong-un, is considered a likely candidate to succeed Choe.

A key point of interest will be whether Kim will be appointed as president, a position that has traditionally been reserved for the nation's founder, Kim Il-sung, as the SPA deliberates on crucial personnel matters.

The SPA is also expected to formalize the regime's policy of categorizing the two Koreas as "hostile countries" in the constitution, a stance initially proclaimed by Kim in 2023, which has led to antagonistic policies directed at Seoul.

Since 1990, the number of SPA representatives has been maintained at 687, representing a diverse array of workers, scientists, educators, and other public members from various sectors, including high-ranking government officials.

Joining the SPA is viewed as a milestone for gaining entry into the regime's inner power circle.

North Korean citizens aged 17 and above are eligible to partake in the parliamentary elections, which generally occur on a single day.

However, the voting process is largely seen as a formality, as there is typically only one candidate per constituency.

Voters must place their ballot into the box if they approve of the candidate; otherwise, they must cross out the candidate's name, rendering the voting process effectively non-secret.

Currently, leader Kim is not a member of the SPA following his exclusion from parliament in the previous election, marking the first time in over seven decades that a North Korean leader has not held a parliamentary seat, as reported by the Yonhap news agency.

Once the new parliament convenes, North Korea is expected to initiate a parliamentary session, with the first meeting of the current 14th SPA taking place about a month after the elections.