With the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) rolling out the third National Council (NC) election schedule on February 15, Bhutan has entered a busy election year. The NC elections, which will be held on April 20, will be followed by the third National Assembly elections towards the end of the year. The house of review will complete its term in the second week of May 2018 and a new house is expected to be in place the day after the expiry of the term. The Assembly will dissolve in August. Assuming that the prime minister does not dissolve the Assembly prematurely, elections could be held in October 2018. The ECB had officially shifted its focus to the parliamentary elections by marking voters’ day on September 15 last year.
Awareness programmes on the election process have been taken to every dzongkhag. The ECB is hoping for increased voter turnout in the elections that will mark the completion of 10 years of democracy.
Awareness programmes, the ECB says, are important to renew electorate’s commitment to a vibrant democracy as envisioned by the visionary monarchs and enshrined in the Constitution. Accordingly, to enthuse the citizenry and encourage the electorate to engage meaningfully in the democratic process has been one of the core mandates of the ECB.
Full Article: Bhutan kicks off a busy election year – KuenselOnline.
