Bhutan to hold bye-election for seat vacated by ex-PM Thinley

The election for the vacated parliamentary seat to be held tomorrow

Bhutan will hold a bye-election tomorrow for a parliamentary seat vacated by former Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley, whose party was routed in the general election.

 

Thinley, 60, resigned in July, becoming the first person in Bhutan to quit the legislative body.

 

Thinley's Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) party was routed by People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Bhutan's second national elections held in July. The PDP won 32 seats in the 47-member National Assembly.

 

Dechen Zangmo, 31, is contesting the polls on DPT ticket from the Nanong-Shumar Constituency. Pema Wangchuk, 34, is the PDP nominee and the main challenger.

 

Thinley was one of the 15 DPT candidates who were elected in the recent general elections.

 

He championed the Gross National Happiness movement which was incorporated as the 9th Millennium Development Goals by the UN.

 

Bhutan has a tri-cameral parliament of the King, National Council and the National Assembly.

 

There are 25 seats in the National Council or the Upper House. Five of them are appointed by the King and 20 are elected from 20 districts.