Bhutan brought down the curtain on a century of absolute monarchy yesterday, as the king's subjects went to the polls to elect the remote Himalayan nation's first democratic government.
The landmark vote was proposed by Bhutan's royal family to peacefully transform the small Buddhist kingdom, wedged in the mountains between massive neighbors India and China, into a constitutional monarchy.
But the country's young Oxford-educated sovereign, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, is expected to retain strong influence over the running of the country -- which has long boasted that its goal is "Gross National Happiness."
Despite the election excitement, many people in Bhutan view the concept of democracy with some alarm, and the king made a last-minute pitch to his people at the weekend to try to get them to take part.
His appeal seemed to have worked, as an election commission official reported more than 60 percent turnout by early afternoon in the capital Thimphu, where long lines were seen at polling stations before voting closed.
"This is the first time I'm voting," said Lhamchum, a smiling 68-year-old housewife who turned up with nine family members to cast their ballots.
The switch to democracy is a major step for Bhutan, which is about the size of Switzerland and is one of the most insular countries on the planet.
Before the king's dynasty took over in 1907, the country was divided up into countless fiefdoms. It had no roads, telephones or currency until the 1960s, and only allowed television in 1999.
The landlocked country, which calls itself "The Land of the Thunder Dragon," was also never colonized. For centuries the Bhutanese relished their isolation, maintaining a barter economy and allowing few foreigners to visit.
The educated elite have traditionally dominated politics, and only university graduates were allowed to stand for the 47 seats in the new National Assembly.
The candidates represented two parties, the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa or Bhutan United Party and the People's Democratic Party, which campaigned on the slogan: "Service with Humility: We Walk the Talk."
Meanwhile, the Himalayan kingdom may now lay claim to having the world's most enthusiastic voter: a 65-year-old woman who walked 600km to cast her ballot.
The Bhutan Times reported that people were allowed to vote only in the place of their birth and thousands headed to remote villages to take part in the country's first parliamentary elections.
Tshewang Dema said she preferred to walk because she suffered motion sickness after her first and only car journey four years ago.
"I didn't want to lose my vote just because I couldn't travel in a car," Dema said.
The 14-day trek from Thimphu to the eastern Trashiyangste district also turned out to be a long overdue homecoming.
Dema's cousin wept when she walked into the house, unannounced, after four years, accompanied by her 13-year-old grandson.
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