Thursday, April 3, 2008
Bhutan votes for stability but rejects King's uncle
The people of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan shocked even themselves on March 24, voting for stability and experience in their first ever parliamentary polls but overwhelmingly rejecting a party led by the king's uncle.
This was not a vote against the much loved king of Bhutan or a century of royal rule -- many people had said they were reluctant to embrace democracy, and the winner of the elections, Jigmi Thinley, was himself a staunch royalist.
But the scale of his victory, winning 44 of the 47 seats on offer according to provisional results announced by the election commission, sent subtle messages which will reverberate around this deeply traditional and conservative land.
"It is truly amazing," said Palden Tshering, spokesman for Thinley's Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT). "The people really have made the decision."
The present king's uncle Sangay Ngedup even lost in his own constituency. If the king had to stand aside, the people of Bhutan seem to be saying, they are not sure they want his many relatives by marriage to take over.
"They have given the government to the public now," said one voter who declined to be named, in a country still not used to criticism of the elite or political discourse.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
This was not a vote against the much loved king of Bhutan or a century of royal rule -- many people had said they were reluctant to embrace democracy, and the winner of the elections, Jigmi Thinley, was himself a staunch royalist.
But the scale of his victory, winning 44 of the 47 seats on offer according to provisional results announced by the election commission, sent subtle messages which will reverberate around this deeply traditional and conservative land.
"It is truly amazing," said Palden Tshering, spokesman for Thinley's Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT). "The people really have made the decision."
The present king's uncle Sangay Ngedup even lost in his own constituency. If the king had to stand aside, the people of Bhutan seem to be saying, they are not sure they want his many relatives by marriage to take over.
"They have given the government to the public now," said one voter who declined to be named, in a country still not used to criticism of the elite or political discourse.
To read the full article, click here...
To read the ePaper, visit: http://www.newsindia-times.com
Labels: Bhutan, Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, Jigmi Thinley, King's uncle, royal rule, stability, votes
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