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Bhutan going for National Assembly polls today as critics slight it as a mere eyewash

Altogether 13 Nepali-speaking candidates are contesting in the National Assembly election that is going to be held in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan Monday. The elections are the first ever democratic exercise for the country and are supposed to help in its transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one.

Of the 13 Nepali-speaking candidates, 9 (which includes one woman candidate) are running for the National Assembly seat from the Bhutan United Party (BUP) led by former prime minister Jigme Y Thinle and 4 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese are National Assembly hopefuls from the People's Democratic Party (PDP) led by another former prime minister Sange Dingdup Dorje.

Seven Nepali-speaking candidates are contesting in the election from Samchi district of Southern Bhutan alone which has a total of four election constituencies. Of them 4 belong to BUP and 3 belong to PDP.

Meanwhile, the Bhutanese Human Rights Organization has by issuing a statement Saturday said that the election, which is being conducted by the Bhutanese regime, is to hoodwink the international community and holds no meaning.

Critics of Bhutan's Druk regime even say that the elections are to quell the demand by democrats, both in Bhutan, and others in exile, for the establishment of genuine democracy and human rights in Bhutan.

"Fundamental human rights - the basic tenets of democratic practice is completely absent in the country (Bhutan). The arrests of innocent people are still rampant," said Rongthong Kunley Dorji, a Bhutanese leader living in a political exile in New-Delhi in his recent statement. A harsh critic of Bhutan's Druk regime, he further said that no political parties other than the two royalist parties have been allowed to participate in the electoral process which is being conducted in a 'stifling atmosphere'.

"There is no indication by which one can accept this election as 'truly democratic, particularly when fundamental human rights are denied to the people and 80% of the population is legally excluded," Dorji said, adding that 'exiled Bhutanese' living a life of refugees in Nepal and now in US and other countries have definite stake in the democratization of Bhutan "because they also belong to Bhutan".

Welcoming the departure of the first batch of refugees to the US and New Zealand after the US's offer to consider resettlement of at least 60,000 Bhutanese refugees, Dorji however said the third-country resettlement is not a permanent solution to Bhutanese refugee issue.

"Before resorting to third country resettlement, the issue of the genuineness of nationality must be settled once and for all. Any unresolved issues on the nationality will affect democratic Bhutan in future," Dorji said, urging the UNHCR and the Government of Nepal to declare the number of genuine Bhutanese in the refugee camps before sending them for resettlement program.

Reports from Bhutan say that the country's shift from absolute monarchy to the world's newest democracy is also creating unprecedented rifts as people row over which party to vote for in today's elections. The isolated Buddhist kingdom has long stressed community bonding, but divisions ahead of the elections are creating serious problems, observers say.

A Bhutanese weekly reported that a family of six fled their house after one of their sons, in a drunken rage, threatened to burn down the house if they did not support the Party of his choice. In another sign of disharmony, a nephew and an uncle are pitted against each other, dividing the village where they live into two camps.

The weekly said that such discord is unfamiliar in insular Bhutan where famous "gross national happiness" index takes precedence over gross national product. nepalnews.com ag Mar 24 08