Bhutan's PM resigns to contest elections

Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk and six of his cabinet ministers Thursday resigned to enter politics when the Himalayan kingdom holds its first parliamentary elections next year as part of a historic shift from monarchy to democracy.

"I on behalf of six other ministers submitted our resignation from our current posts to His Majesty the King (Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck) on Thursday to join the political process. The seven of us will leave our current position from Aug 6," the prime minister was quoted as saying by the government-run television network, the Bhutan Broadcasting Corp.

Khandu said he would hand over the office of the prime minister to the minister of works and human settlement Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji.

The transformation from monarchy to democracy is the culmination of a plan by former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck - who handed his crown to his young Oxford-educated son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in December - to change with the times and to relinquish absolute rule.

So far just three parties have been formed - the People's Democratic Party, the Bhutan National Party and the Druk Phunsum Tshogpa (DPT).

The outgoing prime minister has already hinted at joining DPT. "I am very confident that together we can make democracy succeed," Khandu said.

The other ministers who have resigned are Home Minister Lyonpo Jigme Y. Thinley, Trade and Industry Minister Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, Agriculture Minister Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup, Finance Minister Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu, Health Minister Lyonpo Jigme Singye and Labour and Human Resources Minister Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering.

Bhutan's election commission guidelines requires that anybody contesting the general elections scheduled for February-March should resign from current posts held in the government or in the private sector.

Bhutan had earlier announced there would be 47 constituencies in the country, the members of which would be elected to the National Assembly or parliament in the first general elections.

Two rounds of mock elections were held in April and May as a dress rehearsal for the polls in 2008.

There would be a primary round of elections where voters would vote for a political party and not candidates. The two parties that receive the highest number of votes in the primary round could then field their candidates for the general elections, the winners then becoming members of the National Assembly.

The transition began in 2001 when the former king handed over the powers of day-to-day governance to a council of ministers and empowered the National Assembly to force a royal abdication if three-quarters of its membership backed the motion. (IANS)

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