Former Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay’s party wins election as economic strife hits ‘national happiness’
- Tshering Tobgay’s party won nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament, local media reported, with the 58-year-old expected to become premier for the second time
- There was no immediate confirmation from the Election Commission, which is expected to release final results on Wednesday
Former prime minister Tshering Tobgay’s party won Bhutan’s election Tuesday, media reported, after polls dominated by economic threats challenging the Himalayan kingdom’s long-standing policy of prioritising “Gross National Happiness” over growth.
Foremost in the minds of many who voted are the struggles facing the Buddhist-majority kingdom’s younger generation, with chronic youth unemployment and a brain drain.
Both parties in the election are committed to a constitutionally enshrined philosophy of a government that measures its success by the “happiness and well-being of the people”.
Tobgay’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament, The Bhutanese newspaper reported, with the 58-year-old conservation advocate expected to become premier for the second time.
Job opportunities in Bhutan are scarce, and the new government should focus on solving this, so young people don’t leave abroad
Tobgay’s PDP “wins the 2024 National Assembly general elections with 30 seats” while the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) took the remaining 17, the paper said, based on preliminary results from each constituency.
