Bhutan’s first democratic government election will remain significant in many ways in the country’s history. The first election saw more female voters than male voters. Except eleven constituencies, female voters out numbered male voters in all the other constituencies and the eleven constituencies where the number of male voters was higher, the difference was very little.
For instance, in Sombaykha constituency, two more men voted. In addition, turnover of the young Bhutanese were higher in the election. According to the statistics gathered by Bhutan’s election officers, turnout of the young voters between 18 to 30 years was higher in the first election. Kuensel Online reports:
Observers say that more women voted because, in terms of the registered voter population, about 3,900 more women were registered to vote for the Assembly elections. Of the 318,465 voters registered, 161,169 were women.
However, registered voter population may only be one of the several considerations.
Some of the female rural voters that Kuensel spoke with gave numerous reasons why their fathers, brothers and sons, who were registered to vote, could not make it for the polls. “All of us voted, except my sons, who were in the forest tending cattle,” said 52-year-old, Daw Zam from Sama village in Haa. “They came home only the next day after elections.”
In the first election of the country 10 female candidates, six from People’s Democratic Party (PDP) four from Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT), ran for the assembly. 56% of Bhutan’s population consists of people under 25 years of age which according to many analysts, is the main reason behind the higher presence of young voters in the election but there were no data available about the number of voters below 30 years of age.
After 100 years of monarchy, Bhutan saw its first democratic government. Though many people were not happy with the transition, the election held on March 24th saw turnout of 79% of the total registered voters. The two electoral parties- Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had almost similar manifestos but DPT won the election. Led by Jigmi Thinley, out of 47 constituencies, DPT won in 44.
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