Sunday, March 30, 2008
Democracy by King's decree: progress measured by ‘gross national happiness'
Residents here in the capital complained that Bhutan's one and only automated traffic signal was too impersonal. It was taken down. Now, a white gloved police officer gracefully directs motorists.
A lone man in charge: That's what most Bhutanese want when it comes to how their country is run, not merely a single intersection.But their beloved king, the man in question, has other ideas.
Bhutan is set to become the world's newest democracy, with the first general elections in this isolated Buddhist kingdom. At the heart of this brave new world lies a paradox: It is people power by royal decree. The Bhutanese are choosing their leaders because, essentially, they were told to by their king.
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Labels: Bhutan, Buddhist kingdom, elections, Golden Throne, Himalayan country gross national happiness, Land of the Thunder Dragon, newest democracy
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Mike Huckabee rode wave of evangelical fervor to victory
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee rode a wave of evangelical fervor to victory over Mitt Romney in Iowa's Republican caucus January 3, an outcome that hardly seemed possible two months ago. "Tonight what we have seen is a new day in American politics," Huckabee told supporters at the Embassy Suites here. "And tonight it starts in Iowa, but it doesn't end here. ... It goes to all the other states and ends at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue."
After spending nine months near the bottom of the pack, Huckabee surged to become the front-runner in Iowa in December and never relinquished the position, despite a barrage of negative ads from Romney's methodically built and well-financed operation.
But Huckabee now heads to New Hampshire, where voting takes place Jan. 1, with little support in the polls and only a rag-tag organization to mount a second come-from-behind victory.
To succeed, he will have to broaden his message, which has largely been designed to appeal to the social-conservative voters who helped him win Jan. 3 night. New Hampshire voters tend to be less focused on social issues and more concerned with lowering taxes and reducing the size of government.
Sixty percent of Republican caucusgoers described themselves as evangelicals, according to entrance polls. Those voters went for Huckabee over Romney by more than two to one.
To read the complete article click here..
To read the complete e-paper click here:www.newsindia-times.com
Image and Article source: News India Times
Article taken from the issue: 10 Jan 2008
Labels: elections, governer, Mike Huckabee, Victory
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