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 hold elections as early as December 15.

The process of the interim elections had begun in most of the 205 gewogs, based on directives from the home ministry, according to the dzongkhag election officials. Hundreds of nominations in various gewogs had already been filed and election dates were announced.

Kanglung gup, Ugyen Dorji, who completed his term in November this year and had filed his nomination for the interim elections in December, welcomed the decision. He said that the extension of their tenure was one of the best possible ways to fill the void until the local government elections. Another gup in Dagana said that the appointment of interim gups would have hampered the smooth implementation of the 10th Plan.

The local elections could not be held because the delimitation process for the local government constituencies is still in progress. The Local Governments’ Act 2007 and Thromde Act 2007 would also be tabled for amendments in the summer session of Parliament in 2009.

Home ministry officials said that the interim gups would be elected as per the dzongkhag yargay tshogdu (DYT) and gewog yargay tshogchung (GYT) Acts. But His Majesty in his kasho said that the gups elections would not draw any legitimacy even as an interim measure if the elections were to be held as per DYT and GYT Acts, that had been repealed. He also said that the cost of conducting new elections again after a period of a few months will cause significant financial burden and enormous inconvenience to the general public and the bureaucracy.

Members of the National Council approached His Majesty the King, the prime minister and the National Assembly speaker on December 1, raising a number of concerns over the interim gup elections.

His Majesty in a Kasho to the election commission of Bhutan (ECB) suggested that the terms of the incumbent gups be extended until ECB completes the delimitation process and relevant acts, under which the elections are to be held, have been revised in accordance with the Constitution.

Kuensel Newspaper