The Government of Bhutan has been a constitutional monarchy since 18 July 2008. The King of Bhutan is the head of state. The executive power is exercised by the Lhengye Zhungtshog,or council of ministers,headed by the Prime Minister. Legislative power is vested in the bicameral Parliament,both the upper house,National Council,and the lower house,National Assembly. A royal edict issued on April 22,2007 lifted the previous ban on political parties in anticipation of the National Assembly elections in the following year. In 2008,Bhutan adopted its first modern Constitution,codifying the institutions of government and the legal framework for a democratic multi-party system.
LyonpoYeshey Zimba was a political figure from Bhutan. He was Prime Minister of Bhutan two times:first from 2000 to 2001;then from 20 August 2004 to 5 September 2005. During this period,each minister took turns holding the chairmanship for one year.
Bhutan,formally the Kingdom of Bhutan,is a landlocked country in South Asia situated in the Eastern Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of 38,394 square kilometres (14,824 sq mi),Bhutan ranks 133rd in land area and 160th in population. Bhutan is a constitutional monarchy with a king as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. The Je Khenpo is the head of the state religion,Vajrayana Buddhism.
The Council of Ministers is the highest executive body in Bhutan. It was created in 1999 by Jigme Singye Wangchuck,the fourth King of Bhutan.
The Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan is the central bank of Bhutan and is a member of the Asian Clearing Union. It is also the minting authority for the Bhutanese Ngultrum. The Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan was established under the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan Act of 1982. Subsequently,the Act of 1982 was amended by the Financial Institutions Act of 1992 and replaced in its entirety by the Royal Monetary Authority Act of 2010.
National Assembly elections were held in Bhutan for the first time on 24 March 2008. Two parties were registered by the Election Commission of Bhutan to contest the elections;Druk Phuensum Tshogpa,led by Jigme Y. Thinley,which was formed by the merger of the Bhutan People's United Party and All People's Party,and the People's Democratic Party (PDP). A third political party,the Bhutan National Party (BNP),had its application for the registration refused.
LyonpoKinzang Dorji is a two-time former Prime Minister of Bhutan from 2002 to 2003 and again from 2007 to 2008. He was the chairman of Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan from 2007 to 2008.
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 People's Democratic Party is one of the major political parties in Bhutan,formed on 24 March 2007. The founder president of this party is Sangay Ngedup,the former prime minister and agriculture minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan. The current leader of the party is Tshering Tobgay. The People's Democratic Party submitted its application for registration on 6 August 2007 and thus became the first political party in Bhutan to do so. On 1 September 2007 the Election Commission of Bhutan registered the party. The PDP tends to be more popular in the west of the country.
Druk Phuensum Tshogpa is one of the major political parties in Bhutan. It was formed on 25 July 2007 as a merger of the All People's Party and the Bhutan People's United Party,which were both short-lived. The working committee of the merged entity,headed by the former home minister,Jigmi Yoezer Thinley,decided on the name for the new party. On 15 August 2007,Jigmi Yoezer Thinley was elected president of the party,and the party applied for registration,thus becoming the second political party in Bhutan to do so. On 2 October 2007,the Election Commission of Bhutan registered the party. On 24 March 2008,the party won the first general election held in Bhutan. The party secured 45 of the 47 seats to the National Assembly. The party tends to be more popular in the east of the country.
The National Council is the upper house of Bhutan's bicameral Parliament,which also comprises the Druk Gyalpo and the National Assembly.
The Constitution of Kingdom of Bhutan was enacted 18 July 2008 by the Royal Government of Bhutan. The Constitution was thoroughly planned by several government officers and agencies over a period of almost seven years amid increasing democratic reforms in Bhutan. The current Constitution is based on Buddhist philosophy,international Conventions on Human Rights,comparative analysis of 20 other modern constitutions,public opinion,and existing laws,authorities,and precedents. According to Princess Sonam Wangchuck,the constitutional committee was particularly influenced by the Constitution of South Africa because of its strong protection of human rights.
Tshering Tobgay is a Bhutanese politician,environmentalist,and cultural advocate who is the Prime Minister of Bhutan since 28 January 2024 and also served in office from July 2013 to August 2018. Tobgay is the leader of the People's Democratic Party,and was also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly from March 2008 to April 2013.
The Bhutan People's Unity Party,also called Druk People's Unity Party (PUP),is a former Bhutanese political party. It was founded by regional and national cadres serving in Bhutan's pre-democratic government. Led by former minister (assemblyman) Yeshey Zimba,BPUP then merged with the stronger All People's Party (APP),headed by former and future prime minister Jigme Y. Thinley;the two parties unified as the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa on 25 July 2007. Both the BPUP and APP had been registered with the Election Commission.
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.
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.
Ministry of Finance is ministry of Bhutan is responsible to steer and sustain a robust economy through a dynamic fiscal policy and strong culture of fiscal discipline.
Dorji Wangdi is a Bhutanese politician who has been the leader of the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party since 2020,and a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan,from 2008 to 2024. He is former the Opposition leader of Bhutan after the resignation of Pema Gyamtsho from active politics.
Karma Donnen Wangdi is a Bhutanese politician who has been Minister for Information and Communication since November 2018. He has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan,since October 2018. Previously he was the member of the National Council of Bhutan from 2008 to 2013.
Passang Dorji is a Bhutanese politician who has been a member of the National Assembly of Bhutan since October 2018.
