LAST ELECTIONS
Also available:
Archive of past election results for this chamber
Bhutan became a monarchy in 1907. In 2005, the then King Jigme Singye Wangchuck unveiled a draft constitution. His son, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, succeeded him in December 2006. Representatives of all 20 districts reviewed the draft constitution. Under the draft, the King remains the Head of State, but the new bicameral parliament can impeach him by a two-thirds majority vote. The prime minister, currently appointed by the King, will be elected by the new National Assembly.
On 31 July 2007, the National Assembly was dissolved with a view to elections due to be held on 24 March 2008. The draft constitution will then be presented to the new National Assembly for adoption.
In the December 2007 elections to the National Council, 43 candidates contested 15 of the 20 seats.
On 31 December, 55 per cent of the 270,000 registered voters in 15 of the 20 districts turned out at the polls. Elections were postponed in five constituencies, where there was either no candidate or only one. To be eligible, candidates need to hold a university degree. However, although the literacy rate in Bhutan is estimated at 60 per cent, only 16,000 of the countrys 634,000 inhabitants (see note) are university graduates. Voting went off without any major incident. The results for 15 of the elective seats were announced on 1 January 2008. Eleven of the 15 members were under 40 years old; three women were elected.
Elections for the five remaining seats were held on 29 January 2008. In three constituencies contested by only one candidate, voters cast either a "yes" or "no" ballot. Heavy snow and cold weather hit the country, apparently accounting for the relatively lower turnout of 42 per cent. On the following day, the Election Commission endorsed the five new members. One woman was elected, bringing the total number of women to four out of 20 elected members.
On 30 March 2008, the King appointed another five members including two women.
On 29 April, the National Council held its first session and elected Mr. Namgay Penjore, an elected member from the Punakha constituency, as its Speaker.
Note:
Source: National Population and Housing Census of Bhutan, 2005.
| Round no 1 (31 December 2007): Election results | ||||
| Number of registered electors | 269'337 | |||
| Voters | 147'789 (54.87%) | |||
| Blank or invalid ballot papers | ||||
| Valid votes | 147'789 | |||
| Statistics for the elections on 29 January 2008 Number of registered electors: 43,480 Voters: 18,155 (41.75%) Valid votes: 18,155 In Bhutan, only the valid votes are counted. The number of votes (voters) thus equals the number of valid votes. |
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| Round no 1: Distribution of votes | ||||||||||
| Political Group | Candidates | Votes | % | |||||||
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political Group | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Four women were directly elected and two others were appointed by the King.
Sources:
- http://www.election-bhutan.org.bt/
- Bhutanese Election Commission (14.01.2008)
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs (08.01.2008, 10.01.2008, 17.01.2008, 30.01.2008, 16.04.2008)
Also available:
Archive of past election results for this chamber
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