Bhutanese democracy

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The development of Bhutanese democracy has been marked by the active encouragement and participation of reigning

V-Dem Democracy indices in 2023 with a score of 0.535 out of 1.[2][3]

Role of the monarchy

History

Further information:
House of Wangchuck, and Dorji family

The process of modernization and democratization was initiated by the Third

National Assembly – to promote a more democratic form of governance. Among the Third King's most basic democratic reforms was the abolition of slavery in Bhutan in 1958.[7] Under the reign of H.M Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, Bhutan further endeavored simultaneously to foster foreign ties and to develop its own infrastructure under five year plans
.

The Fourth

citizenship laws, increased emphasis on culturally assimilatory driglam namzha laws, and the expulsion and flight of thousands of Lhotshampa (ethnic Nepalese) refugees from Bhutan in the 1990s. Since the abdication of the Fourth King, the head of state has retained the regal title, but no longer reigns with absolute power.[8]

The reign of the Fifth and current

gewog, and thromde
).

Since the establishment of the

Jigme Dorji – the daughter of Topgay Raja – married the Third King of Bhutan, creating a new bond so prominent as to cause some discontent among other Bhutanese families;[13] the public has been divided politically between pro-modernist and pro-monarchist camps.[14]

Elections

Main article: Elections in Bhutan

Elections, the cornerstone of participatory democracy, began in Bhutan with a

gewog, and thromde
governments were conducted on a staggered schedule between January and August 2011. Voter participation was markedly lower than in previous elections, owing variously to delays, disillusionment, and complications in voting procedure.

Mock election

On April 21, 2007, Bhutan began practising democracy. They held a mock election to begin to acclimate the populace to the democratic process. There were four parties on the ballot: Druk Blue, Druk Green, Druk Red and Druk Yellow. (Druk is the Dzongkha word for the thunder dragon, the country's national symbol.) Although the parties were fictional, there were thematic party platform descriptions for each one.[15]

Runoff elections were held on May 28, 2007, between Druk Yellow and Druk Red. The two leading parties put up randomly chosen high school students as candidates in the 47 constituencies in the second round in an effort to produce a two-party system to avoid the need for coalition governments and possible political instability. The Druk Yellow Party swept the vote and won 46 of the 47 constituencies. Turnout in the second round was 66%.[16]

Mock election results[15][16]
Party Platform Votes Percent
Runoff election
Druk Blue to fight corruption and extend free health care and education < 25,424 <20.39 n/a
Druk Green environment-friendly development >18,637 >14.93 n/a
Druk Red to promote
industrialization
 25,423 20.38 ?
Druk Yellow preservation and promotion of our rich cultural heritage and tradition 55,263 44.30 ?

First National Council election, 2007–2008

Main article:
Bhutanese National Council election, 2007–2008

On December 31, 2007, Bhutan democratically elected its first

King of Bhutan.[19]
Nominations had to be filed by November 27, 2007, and the campaigning for 15 of the 20 dzongkhags took place from November 30, 2007, until December 31, 2007.

Elections were not held in five dzongkhags (Thimphu, Trashiyangtse, Gasa, Haa and Lhuntse) on December 31, 2007, since they either did not have any candidate or had only a single candidate until the last date for filing the nominations. The election rules state that there should be at least two candidates for each dzongkhag, otherwise the election would be postponed for that particular dzongkhag.[20] The elections in these five dzongkhags were held on January 29, 2008.[21]

First National Assembly election, 2008

Main article: 2008 Bhutanese National Assembly election

Bhutan held its

Jigme Y. Thinley, and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The third political party, the Bhutan National Party (BNP),[24]
had its application for the registration canceled.

PartyVotes%Seats
Druk Phuensum Tshogpa169,49067.0445
People's Democratic Party83,32232.962
Total252,812100.0047
Registered voters/turnout318,465–
Source: EU Observation Mission

Turnout reached nearly 80% by the time the polls closed, and the

Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party reportedly won 44 seats, with the People's Democratic Party winning only three seats (Phuentsholing in Chukha, 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.[25]

Another attempt to explain the BPPP's large-scale victory is that it is apparently the more pro-monarchy of the two parties.[26] 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.

The DPT officially approved its leader

Prime Minister on 5 April 2008.[27] He took office on 9 April.[28]

Enactment of the Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Bhutan

The

Princess Sonam Wangchuck, the constitutional committee was particularly influenced by the Constitution of South Africa because of its strong protection of human rights.[30]

On 4 September 2001,

Lhengye Zhungtshog (Council of Ministers, or Cabinet), the Chief Justice, and the Chairman of the Royal Advisory Council on the need to draft a formal Constitution for the Kingdom of Bhutan. While Bhutan did not have a formal Constitution, the King believed all the principles and provisions of a Constitution were covered under the various written laws and legislation which guided the actions of the King and the functioning of the Royal Government, the judiciary, and the National Assembly of Bhutan. Nevertheless, the King felt the time had come for a formal Constitution for the Kingdom of Bhutan. The King expressed his desire that the Lhengye Zhungtshog and the Chief Justice should hold discussions on formulating the Draft Constitution, and ordered the formation of the Drafting Committee from among government officials, National Assembly members, and eminent citizens who were well qualified, had a good understanding of the laws of Bhutan. The King emphasized that the Constitution must ensure that Bhutan had a political system that would provide peace and stability, and also strengthen and safeguard Bhutan's security and sovereignty.[31] On November 30, 2001, the King inaugurated the outset of its drafting with a ceremony.[32] By 2005, the Royal Government had circulated copies of the draft among the civil service and local governments in order to receive locals' feedback.[33]

First local government elections, 2011

Main article:
2011 Bhutanese local government elections

Elections began on January 20, 2011, however polls opened in only 3 of 20

USD 1,130). During this election cycle, Bhutan implemented a forum-style campaigns for the first time, reportedly with success. Previously, candidates campaigned at gatherings that each called individually.[34]

On June 28, 2011, the Election Commission announced the preliminary results of the local government elections. It reported a voter turnout of 56%, electing 1,104 representatives at various levels from among 2,185 candidates. The initial report disclosed "a few" cases of mismatched voter rolls and voter identification cards, and stated that in 135 of these cases, the problems were rectified. It also mentioned that some votes had been improperly cast in voters' former domiciles and were rejected. The report further described 4 candidate disqualifications under the election laws, as well as a total of 16 election disputes, of which 3 were appealed to the Election Commission. Overall, elections were reported to have gone smoothly, and several international observers were allowed access.[34]

According to Bhutanese media, local elections were particularly marked by voter apathy and distrust, leading to lackluster campaign gatherings and poor turnout during elections.[37]

Several problems resulted in cancellations and delays of results in local elections. Notably, a lack of candidates contesting seats resulted in a total of 373 vacancies remained after local government elections. These vacancies included 3 for gup, 1 for mangmi, 360 for

Shongphu Gewog (Trashigang).[38]

During election re-runs, the democratic process again performed: despite the discouraging disqualifications, long journeys to polling stations, and decreased voter turnout in Goenshari from 382 to 323, the rerun proved hotly contested and was won by Kinley Dorji by a narrow 16 votes.[39]

Politics and culture

Further information: Culture of Bhutan

Bhutan is an orderly place. Everyone follows the traffic rules and even the country's driglam namzha code is strictly adhered to. As with many Asian cultures, Bhutan has historically valued harmony above liberty. This is probably why the transition to democracy has been orderly and peaceful, however, it is also why the people are generally uneasy about the future and the changes.

One source of the discomfort is the cognitive dissonance induced by the inherent contradiction of a king ordering democracy: follow the king's order because he knows what is best for the people; move toward democracy because the people are best suited to rule themselves. The King's position is that this uneasiness is precisely why it is the perfect time for such changes.

Another source of apprehension stems from the country's history of isolation. Television was not introduced until 1999,

mock elections
to train the people and insure an orderly transition.

Influence of ethnic Nepalese

Main article: Bhutanese refugees

Expatriate Nepalese, who resettled in West Bengal and Assam after leaving Bhutan, formed the Bhutan State Congress in 1952 to represent the interests of other expatriates in India as well as the communities they had left behind.[40]

As noted by the human rights agency

Bhutanese citizenship because jus soli has never operated in Bhutan.[41][42][43] Therefore, they do not have grounds to claim citizenship even if they were born there.[15]

The loosely organized Bhutanese pro-democracy movement in the

cyber-attacks and blocks.[44]

The king's call for elections and abdication of power did an end-run around the exiled movement, preempting any existing calls for freedom from outside (or inside) the country. The irony is that the exiled movement will most likely not have any direct participation in the birth of the new democracy which it had been calling for. Although, the refugee issue remains unresolved and will likely need to be addressed by the new government at some point.[15]

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of Bhutanese history

See also

References

  1. ^ O'Brien, Matt (2010-08-29). "Reporter's Notebook from Bhutan: Crashing the Lost Horizon". Contra Costa Times. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  2. ^ V-Dem Institute (2023). "The V-Dem Dataset". Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  3. ^ Democracy Report 2023, Table 3, V-Dem Institute, 2023
  4. ISBN 0-8160-7109-8
    .
  5. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Worden, Robert L. (1991). Andrea Matles Savada (ed.). Bhutan: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Chapter 6 - Bhutan: British Intrusion, 1772-1907.
  6. U.S. Department of State
    . 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
  7. ^ a b c "Timeline: Bhutan". BBC News online. 2010-05-05. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
  8. ^ Crossette, Barbara (2007-04-30). "Wary of Democracy in Bhutan". The Christian Science Monitor online. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  9. ^ Dorji, Khandu-Om (2002). "A Brief History of Bhutan House in Kalimpong" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-05. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  10. ISBN 0-8014-0909-8. Retrieved 2011-08-08.[permanent dead link
    ]
  11. ISBN 81-85693-41-2.[permanent dead link
    ]
  12. ISBN 1-899579-14-1
    . Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  13. ^ University of Rajasthan (1978). South Asian studies, Volume 13. South Asian Studies Centre, Dept. of Political Science, University of Rajasthan. pp. 110–12. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  14. ISBN 0-7397-3719-8. Retrieved 2011-08-09. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)[permanent dead link
    ]
  15. ^ a b c d Sengupta, Somini (2007-04-23). "Bhutan Reluctantly Embraces Democracy". The New York Times Online. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  16. ^ a b "Bhutan Mock Poll Votes for Tradition". The Star online. Reuters, AFP. 2007-05-30. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  17. ^ "Border to be Sealed Ahead of Bhutan Polls". The Hindu News online. 2007-12-27. Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  18. ^ "National Council Elections on December 26". Hindustan Times online. Press Trust Of India. 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2011-09-18.[dead link]
  19. ^ "312,817 Voters on Final Electoral Roll". Kuensel online. 2007-12-01. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  20. ^ Choden, Phuntsho (2007-11-30). "Upper House has Lower Profile". Kuensel online. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  21. ^ Choden, Phuntsho (2007-12-05). "Another Shot at Selection". Kuensel online. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  22. ^ Bhaumik, Subir (2008-01-17). "Main Bhutan Election Date is Set". BBC News online. Archived from the original on 27 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  23. ^ "Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, the New Party in Town". Bhutan Portal online. 2007-07-25. Archived from the original on 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  24. ^ "Bhutan Gets Third Political Party". The Hindu online. 2007-05-06. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  25. ^ Sengupta, Somni (2008-03-05). "Heavy Turnout in First Bhutan Election". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved 2008-11-20.
  26. ^ "Erdrutschsieg der Royalisten in Bhutan – Vom König verordnete Demokratie stösst auf wenig Begeisterung" [Landslide Victory of the Royalists in Bhutan – The King-Ordered Democracy Meets with Little Enthusiasm]. Neue Zürcher Zeitung online (in German). Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  27. ^ "DPT Endorses Jigmi Y Thinley as Prime Minister". Kuensel online. 2008-04-05. Archived from the original on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
  28. ^ "Thinley Takes Over as Premier". The Hindu. 2008-04-11. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  29. ^ "Background". Government of Bhutan. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  30. ^ Newburger, Emily (Summer 2007). "New Dynamics in Constitutional Law". Harvard Law Bulletin. Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
  31. ^ "Royal Command". Government of Bhutan. Archived from the original on 2010-07-16. Retrieved 2010-10-08.
  32. ^ "Meeting". Government of Bhutan. Archived from the original on 2010-07-18. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  33. ^ "Consultation". Government of Bhutan. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  34. ^
    Government of Bhutan. 2011-06-28. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  35. ^ Sherpa, Sherpem (2011-01-21). "Bhutan holds first-ever local government elections". Deutsche Welle online. Retrieved 2011-05-20., editor=Baerthlein, Thomas
  36. ^ Chandrasekharan, S. (2011-03-02). "BHUTAN: Local Council Elections and Update on Refugees: Update No. 89". South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG). Archived from the original on 2012-04-18. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
  37. ^ "As Thromde Elections Unfold". Bhutan Observer online. 2011-01-24. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  38. Government of Bhutan. 2011-07-08. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  39. ^ Pokhrel, Nirmala (2011-08-13). "The Sixteen-Vote Tiebreaker". Kuensel online. Retrieved 2011-09-08.[permanent dead link]
  40. ^ Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Worden, Robert L. (1991). Andrea Matles Savada (ed.). Bhutan: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. Political Developments.
  41. ^ "Nationality Law of Bhutan, 1958". Bhutannica online. "Citizenship Act 1958". Government of Bhutan. 1958. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  42. Government of Bhutan
    . 1985. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  43. Government of Bhutan. 2007-01-05. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2011-08-23. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  44. ^ Choden, Phuntsho (2007-06-20). "What is Cyber Crime?". Kuensel online. Archived from the original on 2007-07-04. Retrieved 2011-09-18.
  45. ^ See Kuensel, “ESTABLISHMENT OF A HIGH COURT” vol.5 (news for the period from 15th October to 31st October 1967), at pp.5 to 6. Contributed by Justice Lungten Dubgyur, Royal Court of Justice, High Court of Bhutan

Further reading

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bhutanese_democracy&oldid=1202777508"