Bhutan Assembly polls: First phase of voting tomorrow

The eastern Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is all set for the National Assembly elections. The race to elect the next Prime Minister of Bhutan will officially begin with the first round of elections tomorrow.

The two parties that secure the highest and the second highest number of votes will contest the final round of the national elections on January 9th.

As many as 4.96 lakh voters will elect 47 representatives to form the 4th elected government of Bhutan.

This time, five political parties are in the fray.

As a start to the election process, the King of Bhutan dissolved the government in power and installed an interim government led by a Chief Advisor.

The Chief Justice of Bhutan holds the de facto position of the Chief Advisor.

In line with this tradition, the outgoing Prime Minister Lotay Tshering made way for an interim government of Chogyal Dago Rigdzin, who was serving as the Chief Justice of Bhutan until taking office as the Chief Advisor.

The five parties contesting the election this time are– Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP); Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT); Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT); Druk Thuendrel Tshogpa (DTT); and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Among these, DNT, DPT and PDP had held power once in the previous governments. Druk Thuendrel Tshogpa and Bhutan Tendrel Party will be contesting for the first time.

The five parties are focusing on similar agendas of economic growth, youth empowerment, healthcare and education enhancement, tourism, and infrastructure development.

All the parties share common objectives of national development but differ in their detailed strategies, priorities, and approaches to achieving these goals.

Bhutan and India have taken their traditional ties to new heights in recent times. The elections would be closely followed by New Delhi with the hope of strengthening the bilateral relations further.

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