Bhutanese National Assembly election, 2008

In the parliamentary elections in Bhutan 2008, the 318 465 eligible voters of the Kingdom of Bhutan selected on 24 March 2008 for the first time a National Assembly. They awarded 47 seats for the House of Commons, to which the people competed Democratic Party (PDP ) and the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (DPT ).

The upper house of the new parliament was elected in December 2007. The election for the lower house was the final step towards the introduction of a constitutional monarchy.

The introduction of a constitutional monarchy in the insular Himalayan state is due to the former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck initiative, announced the 2005 democratic elections. End of 2006, he stepped down and handed over the affairs of state to his son, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The coronation of the new king was held in 2008.

Result

In the elections the Royalists won a resounding victory. The Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (DPT ) won 45 of 47 seats. The People's Democratic Party ( PDP) came only two mandates. The turnout was 79.4 percent. The content profile of the parties did not differ greatly from one another, but the DPT was the King in more detail. The election to the 20 districts of Bhutan with more than 850 polling stations went smoothly, according to the Electoral Commission.

In the Kingdom of Bhutan was the British model, in the form of relative majority voting, voted. The candidate who could unite the most votes, the mandate won in the constituency. Therefore, there is a discrepancy between the vote share of the two parties and the seats in Parliament.

Following his election as chairman of the DPT Jigme Thinley occurred on 9 April 2008 to the Office of the Prime Minister. Leader of the Opposition is the PDP deputy Tshering Tobgay.

Source: www.election - bhutan.org.bt