Bhutan Election | Latest Burning Issues

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BHUTAN

Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy The government is a parliamentary democracy; the head of state is the King of Bhutan, known as the “Dragon King”. It is a member of the United Nations, SAARC, BIMSTEC and the Non-Aligned Movement.

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY

A constitutional monarchy is a monarchy in which the monarch’s powers are limited by a constitution. Jigme Khesar NamgyelWangchuck is the current reigning Druk Gyalpo or “Dragon King” of the Kingdom of Bhutan.

ELECTIONS IN BHUTAN

The Parliament – Chi Tshog has two Houses: National Council (Gyelyong Tshogde) Upper House and National Assembly (Tshogdu) Lower House, both with a five-year term

ABOUT BHUTAN PARLIAMENT

The National Council has 25 members of which 20 are elected while five are nominated by the King; candidates contest the Council elections as independents and not as party nominees However, elections to the National Assembly which has 47 members are held on party lines

PARTIES OF BHUTAN

People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tobgay in its manifesto describes India as “our closest neighbour and friend”, and says it will ensure further engagement with New Delhi Druk PhuensumTshogpa (DPT), of Dr Pema Gyamtsho in its manifesto, says it remains committed to maintaining and furthering excellent bilateral relations by deepening economic ties and carrying forward the mutually beneficial cooperation Some doubts, though, have been expressed if DPT’s vision of “sovereignty, security and self-sufficiency” is intended as a thinly veiled reference to Indian interests

BHUTAN 2018 ELECTION WINNER

Centre-Left DNT, which seeks to strengthen and diversify economic ties with India, has won 30 seats in the 47-member National Assembly, the lower house of the Bhutanese parliament

The DNT vision included boosting connectivity, promotion of Bhutan’s culture to enhance tourism, and building of infrastructure to enhance connectivity. It also had plans to introduce childcare and maternity benefits to women to tackle the reduction in the number of childbirths in Bhutan. There was however, no mention of foreign policy issues in the manifesto.

BHUTAN GOT A NEW PRIME MINISTER

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Bhutan’s newly elected Prime Minister LotayTshering, president of Druk NyamrupTshogpa party, to congratulate him on his election win.

IMPORTANCE OF ELECTION RESULTS FOR INDIA

For India, Bhutanese elections have a special significance, considering the very close relations that New Delhi shares with Thimphu, especially in the context of increased Chinese involvement and the Doklam standoff Keeping the 79-day Doklam standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies in view, the leanings of the Bhutanese PM are crucial

BHUTAN’S EXPECTATIONS FROM INDIA

Ending that speculation, the PM in waiting, Lotaty Tshering, in a media interview has already stated that “Our [DNT] views are very clear on foreign policy and we believe that it cannot change every five years. Our King (Jigme Khesar NamgyelWangchuck) will be the guiding force on matters of foreign policy… And on India, we believe that Bhutan-India relationship is nonnegotiable.”

BHUTAN INDIA TENSIONS

Hydropower projects are critical for the Bhutanese economy, and are at the core of Bhutan’s plans for self-reliance As of July 2017, Bhutan’s debt to India for the three major ongoing projects: Mangdechhu, Punatsangchhu 1 and 2 is approximately ₹12,300 crores which accounts for 77% of the country’s total debt, and is 87% of its GDP. While the cost of the 720 MW Mangdechhu project has nearly doubled in the past two years of construction, both Punatsangchhu 1 and 2, each of 1200 MW have trebled in cost and been delayed more than five years over the original completion schedule.