Bhutan steps towards democracy after a century of absolute monarchy

 

People show their identity cards as they queue outside a polling station in Pashakha village during Bhutan’s first national council voting December 31, 2007. Bhutanese voted on Monday to elect members to a new upper house of parliament for the first time, a step towards democracy after a century of absolute monarchy.

Daily Times| Jan 1, 2008

DEOTHANG: Bhutanese voted on Monday to elect members to a new upper house of parliament for the first time, a step towards democracy after a century of absolute monarchy.

The tiny, conservative Himalayan kingdom has been preparing for democracy since former monarch Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided to hand power to an elected government, even as many of his citizens said they were quite happy with the way things were.

Monday’s vote is only the first step, and it has not been without problems - the Election Commission has acknowledged an unspecified number of complaints from eligible voters saying they have been unable to vote because of bureaucratic glitches.

More important polls are expected to take place in February and March with elections to the lower house, when newly formed political parties will be able to take part. In Monday’s election, many candidates are fresh-faced 20-somethings, at least partly because of rules requiring all candidates be university graduates.

All three candidates in Samdrup-Jongkhar, a district in the south, are under 30.

Jigme Wangchuk, 28, is giving up teaching for politics. He is running against Sangay Lhendup, a 25-year-old stand-up comedian and political science graduate. Both hope to beat Kuenga Dorji, a 25-year-old actor with good looks and a nice singing voice.

All three are promising development for this quiet nation of farmers and Buddhist monks, where television arrived only in 1999. Voters queued from 8 a.m. (0200 GMT), all dressed, as is compulsory, in traditional Bhutanese costume - gowns for the men and long dresses for the women, some of whom were carrying babies. Many walked for hours from distant villages across the mountain slopes to cast their vote. “Democracy will be good for the younger generation, with a lot of developments taking place and there will be a lot of job opportunities,” said Kuenzeng Choden, a 20-year-old trainee teacher outside Deothang town and one of Bhutan’s 312,817 voters.