| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Chi Tshog / Parliament |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Gyelyong Tshogde / National Council |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Tshogdu / National Assembly
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to) | 31 December 2007
29 January 2008 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the directly elected seats in the newly established National Council. |
The Election Commission, following a Royal Decree of 30 June 2007, declared that elections to the newly-established National Council, the Upper Chamber of the bicameral parliament, would be held in December, 2007. They were subsequently set for 31 December. The National Council is a non-partisan body comprising 25 members, of whom 20 are directly elected while the remaining five are eminent persons nominated by the King.
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. Namgye Penjore, an elected member from the Punakha constituency, as its Speaker.
Note:
Source: National Population and Housing Census of Bhutan, 2005. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 31 December 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
269'337
147'789 (54.87%)
147'789 |
|
Notes
|
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. |
| Distribution of votes |
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| Distribution of seats |
|
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| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
19
6
24.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Distribution of seats according to political group: Not applicable - non-partisan elections.
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) |
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Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
