Wednesday, November 14, 2012

BHUTAN: ELECTIONS

Only graduates were permitted to cast their votes in polls
 
For the period of elections, the monarch had ordered his Prime Minister, Jigme Y. Thinley, to resign and set up the DPT. While the DPT is all set to form a government, the bickering refuses to die down. PDP leaders and spokesmen have since then targeted the DPT for rigging the elections, including the charge that voting machines were tampered with. They also allege that civil servants "unduly" influenced the polls leading to such a one-sided results.

Thinley Penjore, President, Druk National Congress told B&E the elections were grossly unfair. Other activists and NGOs are equally miffed. Devendra Raj Pandey, member of South Asians for Human Rights told B&E: “As one-sixth Bhutan’s population is refugee, only graduates could contest elections and only two parties allowed to contest elections, in which dissent wasn't permitted. What is very distressing, says Pandey, "is the insensitivity of government, civil society and media of India towards bringing about 100% democracy in Bhutan."


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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