Ex-premier likely to win election in Bhutan
Published: Wednesday, Jan 10th 2024, 10:20
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The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is on the verge of a change of power. According to preliminary results, the party of former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay has won only the fourth parliamentary election in the country known for its gross national happiness, reported the majority state-run newspaper "Kuensel" on Wednesday.
His People's Democratic Party (PDP) will receive 30 seats, the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) the remaining 17 seats.
The Prime Minister of the large neighboring country and important trading partner India, Narendra Modi, congratulated Tobgay on the X platform (formerly Twitter) and emphasized that he was looking forward to closer cooperation. Tobgay was already Prime Minister from 2013 to 2018.
The Buddhist country lies between India and China, has fewer than 800,000 inhabitants and is only slightly smaller than Switzerland. Formally, it has only been a democratic constitutional monarchy based on the British model since 2008. The former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck initiated the change. There is now a parliament and a prime minister. However, the parties consult the popular monarch Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck on important issues and he continues to set the direction of policy.
The idea for Gross National Happiness also came from the then monarch in the early 1970s. It is based on indicators such as sustainable, social and economic development, environmental protection, cultural promotion and good governance.
The kingdom with its peaks more than 7000 meters high is one of the most isolated in the world. In its own language, Bhutan is called "Land of the Thunder Dragon". Bhutan wants to avoid mass tourism by charging high fees, but at the same time is heavily dependent on money from foreign visitors and development aid. At the same time, widespread unemployment is a problem for many citizens. Many young people are trying to leave the country.
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