Bhutanese general election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Bhutan
held its first general election on March 24, 2008 for the National Assembly
. Two parties were registered by the Election Commission of Bhutan to contest the election: the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party
(DPT, for Druk Phuensum Tshogpa), which was formed by the merger of the previously established Bhutan People's United Party and All People's Party
and is led by Jigme Y. Thinley, and the People's Democratic Party
(PDP). The third political party, the Bhutan National Party
(BNP), had its application for the registration canceled.
are:
reportedly won 44 seats, with the People's Democratic Party
winning only three seats (Phuentsholing in Chhukha, Goenkhatoe-Laya in Gasa and Sombeykha in Haa). The PDP's leader, Sangay Ngedup
, who is also the ruling king's uncle, lost his own constituency by 380 votes. Reportedly, there were few differences between the platforms of the two parties, which might explain the unexpectedly uneven results; analysts are worried that the small representation of the opposition may obstruct the functioning of the newly founded democratic system. Both parties had pledged to follow the king's guidelines of "pursuing Gross National Happiness
", and both party leaders had previously served in governments.
Another attempt to explain the BPPP's large-scale victory is that it is apparently the more royalist of the two parties.
An explanation popularly given by Bhutanese in the days leading up to the election for the lack of support for the People's Democratic Party was that it would encourage corruption and be contrary to the King's request for the Bhutanese to form a popular government to elect leadership having (as was popularly believed about the PDP) strong personal ties to both the King and Bhutanese business.
Due to a mistake in tallying the votes in Phuntsholing
, it turned out that actually, the BPPP had won 45 seats and the PDP only 2.
The two PDP members who were elected have refused to take up their seats and resigned their mandates, claiming that the civil servants informally campaigned for the DPT and thus greatly influenced the result.
The DPT officially approved its leader as candidate for PM on 5 April 2008. He took office on 9 April.
was held to prepare the population of Bhutan for the imminent change to democracy. These elections were held in all 47 National Assembly of Bhutan
constituencies and at 869 polling stations with around 1,000 voters at each one of them. The parties "contesting" the election were the Druk
Blue Party, the Druk Green Party, the Druk Red Party and the Druk Yellow Party (with Druk being dzongkha for "thunder dragon"), each of them representing certain values as their "party manifesto": yellow traditional values, red for industrial development, blue for fairness and accountability, and green for the environment. The two parties winning the most votes were to proceed to a run-off election scheduled for May 28, 2007. Election observers were present from the United Nations
and from India
.
The results of the first round were as follows:
The two leading parties, Druk Yellow Party and Druk Red Party, put up randomly chosen high school students as candidates in the 47 constituencies in the second round on May 28, 2007, in an effort to produce a two-party system to avoid the need for coalition governments and possible political instability, something which the Bhutanese tend to fear. The Druk Yellow Party swept the vote and won 46 of the 47 constituencies. Turnout in the second round was 66%.
283,506 people had registered to vote, though it is considered likely that a total of 400,000 would have been eligible to register as voters.
From January 31, to February 7, 2008 both political parties submitted the nomination papers for their candidates for the 47 constituencies. The candidates, whose nominations were accepted, started campaigning in their constituencies from February 7, 2008. The election campaign ended at 9:00 on March 22, 2008. The last date for receiving the postal ballots was February 18, 2008. The elections were held on March 24, 2008 from 09:00 to 17:00 followed by the counting of ballots on the same day. The results were declared on March 25, 2008.
All eligible voters were allowed to register with the election commission till February 20, 2008 for inclusion of their names in the voters list which was updated to include those eligible voters who were eighteen years old on or before January 1, 2008. The final electoral roll was published on March 5, 2008.
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
held its first general election on March 24, 2008 for the National Assembly
National Assembly of Bhutan
The National Assembly is the elected lower house of Bhutan's new bicameral Parliament which also comprises the Druk Gyalpo and the National Council. It is the more powerful house.- Current National Assembly :...
. Two parties were registered by the Election Commission of Bhutan to contest the election: the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party
Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party
The Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party, or Druk Phuensum Tshogpa , is one of the major political parties in Bhutan. It was formed on July 25, 2007 as a merger of the All People's Party and the Bhutan People's United Party, which were both short-lived...
(DPT, for Druk Phuensum Tshogpa), which was formed by the merger of the previously established Bhutan People's United Party and All People's Party
All People's Party (Bhutan)
The All People's Party is a former political party in Bhutan. Its leader was former and future Prime Minister Jigme Y. Thinley.On July 25, 2007, The relatively strong APP merged with the failing Bhutan People's Unity Party, led by former lyonpo Yeshey Zimba; the two parties unified as the Bhutan...
and is led by Jigme Y. Thinley, and the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Bhutan)
The People's Democratic Party is one of the major political parties in Bhutan, formed on March 24, 2007. The founder president of this party is Sangay Ngedup, the former prime minister and agriculture minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan...
(PDP). The third political party, the Bhutan National Party
Bhutan National Party
The Bhutan National Party is a former Bhutanese political party formed to contest the Himalayan nation's 2008 general election. The party was an alliance of former civil servants, defense officials and businessmen....
(BNP), had its application for the registration canceled.
Electoral system
The elections for the 47 seats of the National Assembly were planned to be held in two rounds: In the first round, voters would have voted for a party. The two parties with the largest share of the national vote would then have been able to field candidates in the 47 constituencies. However, as only two parties successfully registered for the election, the election was held in one round.Constituencies
The 47 constituencies of the National Assembly of BhutanNational Assembly of Bhutan
The National Assembly is the elected lower house of Bhutan's new bicameral Parliament which also comprises the Druk Gyalpo and the National Council. It is the more powerful house.- Current National Assembly :...
are:
| District | Constituencies |
|---|---|
| Bumthang Bumthang District Bumthang District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan. It is the most historic dzongkhag if the number of ancient temples and sacred sites is counted... |
Chhoekhor-Tang |
| Chhume-Ura | |
| Chhukha | Phuentsholing |
| Bongo-Chapcha | |
| Dagana Dagana District Dagana District is one of the 20 dzongkhag comprising Bhutan... |
Druzeygang-Tseza |
| Lhamoy Zingkha-Trashiding | |
| Gasa Gasa District Gasa District or Gasa Dzongkhag is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Its capital is Gasa Dzong near Gasa. It is located in the far north of the county and spans the Middle and High Himalayas. The dominant language of the district is Dzongkha, the national language... |
Goenkhatoe-Laya |
| Goenkhamey-Lunana | |
| Haa Haa District This page is about the area Haa. For information about the airships, please see high-altitude airship.Haa District is one of the 20 dzongkhag or districts comprising Bhutan. Per the 2005 census, the population of Haa dzongkhag was 11,648, making it the second least populated dzongkhag in Bhutan... |
Bji-Katsho-Uesu |
| Sombaykha | |
| Lhuentse | Gangzur-Minjay |
| Menbi-Tshenkhar | |
| Mongar Mongar District Mongar District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. Mongar is the fastest-developing dzongkhag in eastern Bhutan. A regional hospital has been constructed and the region is bustling with many economic activities. Mongar is noted for its lemon grass, a plant that can be used to produce... |
Mongar |
| Dremitse-Ngatshang | |
| Kengkhar-Weringla | |
| Paro Paro District Paro District is the name of a district , valley, river and town in Bhutan. It is one of the most historic valleys in Bhutan. Both trade goods and invading Tibetans came over the pass at the head of the valley, giving Paro the closest cultural connection with Tibet of any Bhutanese district... |
Lamgong-Wangchang |
| Doga-Shaba | |
| Pema Gatshel | Nganglam |
| Khar-Yurung | |
| Nanong-Shumar | |
| Punakha Punakha District Punakha District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan. It is bordered by Thimphu, Gasa, and Wangdue Phodrang Districts... |
Lingmukha-Toewang |
| Kabji-Talo | |
| Samdrup Jongkhar | Deothang-Gomdar |
| Jomotshangkha-Martshala | |
| Samtse Samtse District Samtse District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan.-History and culture:... |
Pagli-Samtse |
| Sipsu | |
| Dorokha-Tading | |
| Ugentse-Yoeseltse | |
| Sarpang Sarpang District Sarpang District is one of the 20 dzongkhags comprising Bhutan.-Languages:... |
Shompangkha |
| Gelephu | |
| Thimphu Thimphu District Thimphu District is a dzongkhag of Bhutan. Thimphu is also the capital of Bhutan and the largest city in the whole kingdom.-Languages:... |
North Thimphu Throm-Kawang-Lingshi-Naro-Soe |
| South Thimphu Throm-Chang-Dagala-Genye-Mewang | |
| Trashigang | Radhi-Sakteng |
| Bartsham-Shongphu | |
| Thrimshing Kanglung | |
| Kanglung-Samkhar-Uzorong | |
| Wamrong | |
| Trashi Yangtse | Bumdeling-Jamkhar |
| Khamdang-Ramjar | |
| Trongsa Trongsa District Trongsa District is one of the districts of Bhutan. It is the most central district of Bhutan and the geographic centre of Bhutan is located within it at Trongsa Dzong.... |
Nubi-Tangsibji |
| Drakteng-Langthel | |
| Tsirang Tsirang District Tsirang District , is one of the 20 dzongkhags of Bhutan. The administrative center of the district is Damphu... |
Pataley-Tsirangtoe |
| Kikhorthang-Mendrelgang | |
| Wangdue Phodrang | Nyisho-Sephu |
| Athang-Thedtsho | |
| Zhemgang | Bardo-Trong |
| Panbang |
Results
Turnout reached nearly 80% by the time the polls closed, and the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity PartyBhutan Peace and Prosperity Party
The Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party, or Druk Phuensum Tshogpa , is one of the major political parties in Bhutan. It was formed on July 25, 2007 as a merger of the All People's Party and the Bhutan People's United Party, which were both short-lived...
reportedly won 44 seats, with the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Bhutan)
The People's Democratic Party is one of the major political parties in Bhutan, formed on March 24, 2007. The founder president of this party is Sangay Ngedup, the former prime minister and agriculture minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan...
winning only three seats (Phuentsholing in Chhukha, Goenkhatoe-Laya in Gasa and Sombeykha in Haa). The PDP's leader, Sangay Ngedup
Sangay Ngedup
Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup was Prime Minister of Bhutan from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2006.In Dzongkha, the title Lyonpo means "Minister"....
, who is also the ruling king's uncle, lost his own constituency by 380 votes. Reportedly, there were few differences between the platforms of the two parties, which might explain the unexpectedly uneven results; analysts are worried that the small representation of the opposition may obstruct the functioning of the newly founded democratic system. Both parties had pledged to follow the king's guidelines of "pursuing Gross National Happiness
Gross national happiness
The assessment of gross national happiness was designed in an attempt to define an indicator that measures quality of life or social progress in more holistic and psychological terms than only the economic indicator of gross domestic product .-Origins and meaning:The term...
", and both party leaders had previously served in governments.
Another attempt to explain the BPPP's large-scale victory is that it is apparently the more royalist of the two parties.
An explanation popularly given by Bhutanese in the days leading up to the election for the lack of support for the People's Democratic Party was that it would encourage corruption and be contrary to the King's request for the Bhutanese to form a popular government to elect leadership having (as was popularly believed about the PDP) strong personal ties to both the King and Bhutanese business.
Due to a mistake in tallying the votes in Phuntsholing
Phuntsholing
Phuentsholing is a border town in southern Bhutan, and is the administrative seat of Chukha District. The town occupies parts of both Phuentsholing Gewog and Sampheling Gewog. Phuentsholing lies opposite the Indian town of Jaigaon, and cross-border trade has resulted in a thriving local economy...
, it turned out that actually, the BPPP had won 45 seats and the PDP only 2.
The two PDP members who were elected have refused to take up their seats and resigned their mandates, claiming that the civil servants informally campaigned for the DPT and thus greatly influenced the result.
The DPT officially approved its leader as candidate for PM on 5 April 2008. He took office on 9 April.
Mock elections
On April 21, 2007, a mock electionMock election
A mock election is an election organized for educational or transformative purposes.- Mock election for educational purposes :...
was held to prepare the population of Bhutan for the imminent change to democracy. These elections were held in all 47 National Assembly of Bhutan
National Assembly of Bhutan
The National Assembly is the elected lower house of Bhutan's new bicameral Parliament which also comprises the Druk Gyalpo and the National Council. It is the more powerful house.- Current National Assembly :...
constituencies and at 869 polling stations with around 1,000 voters at each one of them. The parties "contesting" the election were the Druk
Druk
The Druk is the "Thunder Dragon" of Bhutanese mythology and a Bhutanese national symbol. A druk appears on the Bhutanese Flag, holding jewels to represent wealth. In the Dzongkha language, Bhutan is called Druk Yul, or Land of Druk, and Bhutanese leaders are called Druk Gyalpo, Dragon Kings...
Blue Party, the Druk Green Party, the Druk Red Party and the Druk Yellow Party (with Druk being dzongkha for "thunder dragon"), each of them representing certain values as their "party manifesto": yellow traditional values, red for industrial development, blue for fairness and accountability, and green for the environment. The two parties winning the most votes were to proceed to a run-off election scheduled for May 28, 2007. Election observers were present from the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The results of the first round were as follows:
| Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Druk Yellow Party | 55,263 | 44.30 |
| Druk Red Party | 25,423 | 20.38 |
| Druk Blue Party | 25,295 | 20.28 |
| Druk Green Party | 18,766 | 15.04 |
| Total (turnout 44%) | 124,747 | 100 |
The two leading parties, Druk Yellow Party and Druk Red Party, put up randomly chosen high school students as candidates in the 47 constituencies in the second round on May 28, 2007, in an effort to produce a two-party system to avoid the need for coalition governments and possible political instability, something which the Bhutanese tend to fear. The Druk Yellow Party swept the vote and won 46 of the 47 constituencies. Turnout in the second round was 66%.
283,506 people had registered to vote, though it is considered likely that a total of 400,000 would have been eligible to register as voters.
Election schedule
The election procedure began with the submission of the letters of intent, lists of candidates, copies of election manifestos and audited financial statements by the two political parties contesting the elections to the election commission followed by the release of the party manifestos by them on January 22, 2008.From January 31, to February 7, 2008 both political parties submitted the nomination papers for their candidates for the 47 constituencies. The candidates, whose nominations were accepted, started campaigning in their constituencies from February 7, 2008. The election campaign ended at 9:00 on March 22, 2008. The last date for receiving the postal ballots was February 18, 2008. The elections were held on March 24, 2008 from 09:00 to 17:00 followed by the counting of ballots on the same day. The results were declared on March 25, 2008.
All eligible voters were allowed to register with the election commission till February 20, 2008 for inclusion of their names in the voters list which was updated to include those eligible voters who were eighteen years old on or before January 1, 2008. The final electoral roll was published on March 5, 2008.