Show election

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A show election or a sham election is an extreme example of electoral fraud where an election that is held purely for show, that is, without any significant political purpose. Show elections are a common event in dictatorial regimes that still feel the need to establish some element of public legitimacy.

Ballots in a show election may be in the form of a simple "yes or no" question on the ruler's leadership. A predetermined conclusion is always established by the regime, either through coercion of voters, vote rigging, or just making up an arbitrary number of "votes received". Some dictatorships ensure results by suppressing opposition or maintaining a token opposition that is never allowed to become a viable political force.

Show elections were commonly seen in the Soviet Union, as well as dictatorships such as Iraq, Uganda, North Korea, and Turkmenistan.

The "results" of a show election are frequently one-sided to the point of absurdity, with leaders claiming mandates of 90 percent or higher; this rarely occurs in a free democratic election. On October 16, 2002 Saddam Hussein (the incumbent dictator of Iraq and sole candidate) was "re-elected" after polling 100% of the votes with a 100% turnout. There have even been cases in which rulers have claimed a mandate which exceeded the actual population of their nation.

In some cases, show elections can backfire disastrously against the party in power, especially if the dictator actually believes himself or herself to be popular enough to win without coercion or fraud.