Royal Kasho on LG elections

Posted inDemocracy19 Comments
The Prime Minister, on behalf of the National Council, National Assembly and two political parties, has brought before me the issue of the candidates disqualified from participating in Local Government elections. The 90 disqualified candidates have also jointly submitted an appeal on the same issue. The members of the National Council have submitted their concerns on the relaxation of the one-year mitsi requirement for candidates in Local Government elections. As King, it is my duty at all times, to examine not just the issue at hand, but to also contemplate the long term effect of any decision on the…

Informing people

Posted inMedia6 Comments
Today’s banner features 75-year old Jabari Dan Rai who hails from Dumtoe, a remote gewog in Samtse. By seven every morning, this remarkably healthy septuagenarian arrives at the Lungtenampa bridge to distribute that day’s newspapers to pedestrians making their ways to school and work. Bhutan’s media has come a long way. From very humble beginnings in 1967 when Kuensel was started as a government gazette, we now have at least 9 newspapers, 7 radio stations, a TV broadcaster and a growing number of new media sites. Today’s banner is a simple way of expressing my gratitude to our media,…

Breaking the law?

Posted inDemocracy12 Comments
210 candidates have been disqualified from taking part in the local government elections. These candidates, all of whom had been members of a political party, were disqualified as it has not yet been one year since they resigned from their respective political parties. Actually all of them had resigned from their political parties more than a year ago. All of them were automatically deemed to have resigned as far back as 2008 when they did not renew their memberships with their respective parties. But Section 206 of the Election Act requires that any resignation or removal from a party…