Wow Bhutan

Interim gup election off, incumbents extended

After a timely intervention by His Majesty the King and members of the National Council, Bhutan will not witness an interim gup election in December, instead the terms for the incumbent gups will be extended until the local government elections in 2008. Observers reason that His Majesty’s suggestion through the royal Kasho on December 9 and the National Council members’ report to His Majesty, the prime minister and the National Assembly speaker, were timely because some gewogs were set to hol...

Bhutanese refugees tell dark side of Himalayan kingdom

If Canadians know anything about Bhutan, it likely revolves around the tiny Himalayan nation's seemingly enlightened monarchs, often praised for ushering in democracy and championing a state-sponsored philosophy dubbed Gross National Happiness. But this week, the first of 5,000 refugees from Bhutan arrived in Canada, offering a reminder of the dark side of the country's recent history. The refugees -- ethnic Nepalese and mostly Hindu -- were effectively forced out of Bhutan by that same, Budd...

Bhutan, the world’s youngest democracy, hands Raven Crown to 28-year-old King

The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan crowned a 28-year-old Oxford-educated bachelor as its new King yesterday, six months after reluctantly transforming itself from an absolute monarchy into the world’s newest democracy. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck became the world’s youngest reigning monarch when he was handed the Raven Crown by his father, the former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, in an elaborate ceremony in Thimphu, the capital. The former King, who is 52, abdicated two years ago as ...

Lessons in Gross National Happiness

Many Americans are likely unaware of the other historic election of 2008. Bhutan, once an absolute monarchy, became one of the world's newest democracies in March. Most Americans are probably not thinking about Bhutan right now. Sure, some are aware of that tiny Buddhist nation sandwiched between China and India. But Bhutan can seem a universe away. It didn't have television until the late 1990s. Its main export is electricity. Instead of focusing on gross domestic product (GDP), Bhutan meas...