Supreme Leader

The conventional wisdom in Washington is that Iran’s elections are insignificant. Regardless of who wins, the argument goes, in the end, it’s the supreme leader who calls the shots.

Watched by hundreds of thousands of troops and civilians packed into Kim Il-sung Square—named after the regime's first leader, who died in 1994—Kim Jong-un watched from a balcony overlooking the plaza as he was declared “supreme leader” of the ruling Workers' party, military and people.