Bhutanese people queue up to cast their votes in the national elections in Deothang, Bhutan, on January 9.
| Photo Credit: AP
The story so far: On January 10, the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) declared the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the ruling party with 30 out of 47 seats in the fourth national assembly elections. The Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) became the opposition party with 17 seats.
What is the electoral system of Bhutan?
In 2008, Bhutan converted from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. The King of Bhutan is the head of the state whereas the Prime Minister is the head of the government. Since 2008, Bhutan has conducted four elections. The Parliament of Bhutan consists of the King of Bhutan, the National Council (upper house), and the National Assembly (lower house). The elections to the National Assembly are a two-tier system consisting of a primary round and then general elections. All registered parties contest in the primary round of elections and the top two voted parties contest the general elections to decide the ruling party and the opposition party. While in the primary round of elections, all five registered parties of Bhutan contested, PDP and BTP secured the most votes of 42.53% and 19.58 % respectively.
What were the campaigns of the parties?
The PDP, a liberal party, emerged as the winner with a landslide victory. The party’s campaign revolved around economic recovery, developing infrastructure, and boosting the private sector. More action-oriented goals were a prominent factor in winning the vote.
The BTP, which is a new entrant in the electoral race, became the opposition party in its first term. Its campaigns focused on “a vibrant and prosperous Bhutan” through a robust private sector, effective governance, strengthening local governance, and establishing the Bhutan Idea and Innovation Bank.
What were the key issues?
The country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) was the central theme of all elections so far. However, the economy was the major driving force of the fourth round of elections. The average economic growth in the past five years stood at 1.6%. According to the National Statistics Bureau (NSB), the youth unemployment rate in 2022 was 28.6%. The private sector has been stagnant since the pandemic, and the tourism sector has also witnessed a downfall. According to the Ministry of Finance, the total debt of Bhutan was 124.5% of its GDP as of September 2022. The foreign reserves of Bhutan have also been declining and are close to going below the constitutional limit. In 2023, the reserves declined to $689 million, sufficient only for 14 months of essential imports. The constitution mandates reserves for at least 12 months of imports. Second, there were demographic challenges. Mass migration has been sharply increasing leading to a shortage of manpower. The exodus of high-skilled people to other countries for better educational and job opportunities has affected the delivery of public services domestically. Additionally, fertility rates have been declining.
The elections also witnessed a decline in voter turnout. In the 2018 elections, the turnout for the primary round and general elections stood at 66.36% and 71.46% as compared to 63% and 65.6% in 2023-24.
What next for Bhutan?
With a caretaker government in place and a few challenges, the fourth round of elections conducted in Bhutan exhibited a smooth transition to democracy. PDP being one of the oldest parties has been trusted again for stabilising the economy for a better and prosperous Bhutan. In the 2013 elections, the PDP won and took over a weak economy that grappled with soaring inflation, frozen credit, import bans, and minimal business activity. The party was successful in increasing GDP and foreign reserves. With the slogan “For a Better Druk Yul [For a better Bhutan]” PDP, President Tshering Tobgay is set to be the Prime Minister of Bhutan for the second time.
Akriti Sharma is a doctoral scholar at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISc Campus Bengaluru.
