Thousands of Bhutanese went to the polls yesterday to elect a National Council, the final stage before democratic elections that would end nearly 100 years of absolute monarchy in the secluded Himalayan country.
The vote caps a whirlwind year of transformation for the tiny kingdom since the monarch declared in December 2006 he was abdicating in favor of his 26-year-old son and ushering in democracy.
In this small trading town near the border with India, dozens of people dressed in their green, blue and red checked traditional robes -- knee length for men and ankle-length for women -- lined up at a local school to cast their votes. The National Council, a small group of eminent Bhutanese, will act as an upper house after parliament is elected in February.
PHOTO: AFP
More than 300,000 people were expected to vote yesterday for 15 of the council's 20 elected representatives. Five more will be elected at the end of this month -- a delay caused by a lack of candidates -- and five others will be appointed by the king, said Kunzang Wangdi, Bhutan's chief election commissioner.
There were 43 candidates for the 15 spots in yesterday's vote. However, not everyone was eligible to stand for election.
Only people over 25 years of age with no party affiliation could run.
"Aside from the age, a candidate must possess a bachelor's degree from a university and must have a crime-free background," Wangdi said from the capital, Thimphu.
The council will act as conduit between the king and parliament on matters of national security and sovereignty
The elections lacked the fanfare common in other countries. There were no election posters or campaigners in the town. Voters who wanted to know more about the candidates -- in this district an actor, a school teacher and a comedian -- went to a special notice board in the town center where the candidates posted their picture and a short resume.
As in mock elections held last year, international observers from India, the US, Australia and the UN were monitoring to ensure a smooth process, Wangdi said.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese