AumDorji Choden (born 5 December 1960) is a Bhutanese politician. She was appointed minister of Bhutan's Works and Human Settlement Ministry in 2013, making her the first woman to serve as a minister in Bhutanese cabinet. [1] [2]
She received her primary and secondary schooling in Bhutan and earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology in Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. She also has a master's degree in public administration from Syracuse University in the United States. [3]
Choden started her career as an assistant engineer in the Public Works Department, which made her the first female engineer in Bhutan. She later served as chief of the Public Health Engineering Division of Bhutan. In January 2000 she became the director of the Standard and Quality Control Authority of Bhutan. In January 2006 she was appointed as a commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan, an autonomous body which was established in the same year.
During her tenure in civil service she represented technical and gender issues at national, regional and international forums. In 2008 Bhutan changed from being a monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, [4] and in order to participate in Bhutan's first parliamentary election, she resigned from the Anti-Corruption Commission, as the Constitution of Bhutan does not allow a civil servant to take part in election, but was defeated in the polls. Then In 2009, she began working as assistant resident representative of the United Nations poverty and Millennium Development Goals unit where she handled the poverty portfolio, addressing youth employment and women's empowerment until 2012. [5] [6]
In 2008, she joined the People's Democratic Party (PDP), the first registered political party in Bhutan, and ran to represent the Thrimshing constituency in Trashigang. She received a thrashing defeat and left politics temporarily to work with the United Nations. [7]
In 2012, she resigned from the UN and joined the newly formed political party, Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT). She became the president of the DNT, making her one of the first women to lead a political party in Bhutan [8] with Lily Wangchuk, president of the Druk Chirwang Tshogpa. In the primary election of 31 May 2013, she won an overwhelming victory in her constituency, but her party did not succeed. Only the People's Democratic Party and the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa participated in the general election, winning the majority of the votes in the primary election. [9]
At that point, she rejoined the PDP at their invitation, though there was speculation of DPT offering seat. However, the Constitution of Bhutan does not allow coalition governments, and she was accused of forming a coalition with the PDP. As Choden had been president of the DNT, many people felt that leaving her own party and joining the winning party was a sign of a hunger for power. [10] [11] Despite the criticism, she joined the PDP and later won a seat in the general election of 13 July 2013. The party elected her to head the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, making her the first woman minister in Bhutan.
She encountered controversy after she made a statement in the media about gender discrimination in Bhutan, [12] and a critic website published an article criticizing her statement. [13] Along with her portfolio as a minister, she is also the chair of the National Commission for Women and Child of Bhutan and chair of Bhutan Education City. [14]
The development of Bhutanese democracy has been marked by the active encouragement and participation of reigning Bhutanese monarchs since the 1950s, beginning with legal reforms such as the abolition of slavery, and culminating in the enactment of Bhutan's Constitution. The first democratic elections in Bhutan began in 2007, and all levels of government had been democratically elected by 2011. These elections included Bhutan's first ever partisan National Assembly election. Democratization in Bhutan has been marred somewhat by the intervening large-scale expulsion and flight of Bhutanese refugees during the 1990s; the subject remains somewhat taboo in Bhutanese politics. Bhutan was ranked 13th most electoral democratic country in Asia according to V-Dem Democracy indices in 2023 with a score of 0.535 out of 1.
The National Assembly is the elected lower house of Bhutan's bicameral Parliament which also comprises the Druk Gyalpo and the National Council.
National Assembly elections were held in Bhutan on 31 May and 13 July 2013. The result was a victory for the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP), which won 32 of the 47 seats. The elections were the second general elections to occur in Bhutan since former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck ushered in democratic reforms.
Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa, formerly the Social Democratic Party, is one of the five registered political parties in Bhutan. It was registered on 20 January 2013. The DNT was Bhutan's governing party from 2018 to 2023.
The Druk Chirwang Tshogpa was a Bhutanese political party. It was registered on January 7, 2013. In the primary round of the 2nd National Assembly elections held in 2013, the DCT had 12,457 votes and came fourth place, not winning in any constituency, and so could not take part in the final round. The Election Commission of Bhutan announced on February 26, 2018, that the Party was being deregistered on its own request. The party then merged with Druk Phuensum Tshogpa.
Pema Gyamtsho is a Bhutanese politician who served as the Second Party President of the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly of Bhutan from 2013 until his resignation in 2020. Since then he has been the Director General of International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (|ICIMOD). He also served as the Minister of Agriculture and Forests in the first elected government of Bhutan.
Ugyen Wangdi is a Bhutanese politician who is currently a Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) member of the National Assembly of Bhutan since October 2018. Previously he was member of the National Assembly from 2013 to 2018.
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Lily Wangchuk or Lily Wangchhuk is a Bhutanese politician, diplomat and activist. A diplomat between 1994 and 2008, in November 2012 she became the first Bhutanese woman to be appointed president of a political party.
Lotay Tshering is a Bhutanese politician and surgeon who was the prime minister of Bhutan, in office from 7 November 2018 to 1 November 2023. He has also been the president of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa since 14 May 2018.
Tandi Dorji is a Bhutanese politician who served as Foreign Minister for Bhutan from November 2018 to 2024. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, since October 2018.
Dasho Sherub Gyeltshen is a Bhutanese politician who served as the Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs from November 2018 to 6 May 2021 when he resigned. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan from October 2018 to 6 May 2021.
Ugyen Dorji is a Bhutanese politician who was Minister for Labour and Human Resources from November 2018. and has been Minister for Home and Cultural Affairs since 2021
Dorji Tshering is a Bhutanese politician who has been Minister for Works and Human Settlement since November 2018. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, since October 2018.
Ugen Tenzin is a Bhutanese politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, since October 2018. Previously, he was a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan from 2008 to 2013.
Dorjee Wangmo is a Bhutanese politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, since October 2018.
Kinga Penjor is a Bhutanese politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan, since October 2018.
Karma Lhamo is a Bhutanese educator and politician. She was elected to the National Assembly in 2008, becoming one of its first female members elected under universal suffrage.
National Assembly elections were held in Bhutan on 30 November 2023 and 9 January 2024.
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