New Delhi, Jan 10 (EFE).- Bhutan’s former prime minister, Tshering Tobgay, has secured a majority in the national assembly election, according to provisional results from the poll panel on Wednesday.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tobgay, got 30 of the 47 seats at stake, compared to the 17 by the newly-formed Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) in the fourth parliamentary election held by the tiny landlocked country since it became a constitutional monarchy.
The victory of the PDP would place Tobgay at the head of the country wedged between India and China, making him the first leader of Bhutan to return as prime minister after a previous term.
Tobgay was the country’s first elected opposition leader between 2008 and 2013. He served as the second prime minister of Bhutan between 2013 and 2018.
In Tuesday’s elections, 496,000 Bhutanese were eligible to vote for their representatives.
Women contestants won only two of the 47 seats up for grabs.
The newly elected representatives are expected to respond to the economic problems of a nation guided by the philosophy of “Gross National Happiness.”
With a predominantly Buddhist culture and religion, Bhutan is one of South Asia’s most politically stable countries.
It is the only country in the world that constitutionally bases its development on an indicator called “Gross National Happiness,” which balances the peace of mind with the economic progress of society.
However, the country is going through a delicate economic situation, leading to an increase in the immigration of young people to countries like Australia.
The problems for Bhutan, a country largely dependent on tourism but that has imposed restrictions to prevent environmental destruction, began worsening since the coronavirus pandemic.
The mountainous and isolated kingdom has opted in recent years for a timid openness but remains firm in its desire to avoid mass tourism and to preserve an identity shaped, compared to other minorities, around the traditions of the Tibetan-origin ‘Drukpa’ ethnic group, which professes Mahayana Buddhism. EFE
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