Polls in communist Laos promise little change

BANGKOK—Laos, one of the world’s last communist nations, is holding parliamentary elections Saturday.

But the vote will only preserve the country’s oppressive status quo since most candidates are members of the all-powerful political party that’s ruled the one-party state for 36 years.

Analysts say the exercise is mainly expected to help a new, younger generation take over leadership of the ruling party, which has been dominated by aging revolutionaries who defeated a US-backed government three decades ago.