One big takeaway from the 2018 elections is that Bhutanese voters have a high level of anti-incumbency and set very high standards for our politicians. An external observer may wonder why Bhutanese voters set such high standards for their politicians, especially in a young democracy. The answer is close to …

NEW YORK – Jair Bolsonaro, the frontrunner for the Brazilian presidency, is a far-right, gun-loving, media-baiting hyper-nationalist. The fact that he would be right at home among many of today’s global leaders – including the leaders of some of the world’s major democracies – should worry us all. This compels …

An April 2016 Kupar of His Majesty offering sandalwood boxes to the Chari monastery to house the relics of Zhabdrung which the monastery has possessed since the 17th century.  The nation will celebrate the Coronation Day of His Majesty The King on 1st November 2018.

The strong performance of the DPT in the eastern Dzongkhags in 2008 and especially so in the 2013 and 2018 general elections has lead to the popular presumption that the east is a DPT stronghold for a long time to come. This apparent lack of anti-incumbency in the east has …

As the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) gears up to take its position as the ruling government, it is interesting to take note of the significant factors that leads to the formation of the government every five years. Regionally, the southern votes play a major role in deciding the ruling government …

Marginal increase in turnout in the south and decrease in the west The National Council elections and National Assembly elections in both 2008 and 2013 saw the highest turnout of voters from western and southern Bhutan with these two regions driving up turnout numbers. In stark contrast the eastern Dzongkhags …

The 2018 electoral process has been a hard fought one but ultimately the people have spoken and DNT is in the ruling party with 30 seats and DPT in the Opposition party with 17 seats. The new ruling party will be low on governance experience like PDP in 2013, but …

HONG KONG – On a recent official visit to China, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad criticized his host country’s use of major infrastructure projects – and difficult-to-repay loans – to assert its influence over smaller countries. While Mahathir’s warnings in Beijing against “a new version of colonialism” stood out for …

Paro police apprehended a 43-year-old man on 16 October for stabbing a 38-year-old taxi driver to death. The incident took place the same day at around 12:30 AM in the morning. The suspect is from Orong, Samdrupjongkhar and is a petty contractor. The deceased man was from Drametse, Mongar. The …

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a telephone conversation today with Dr Lotay Tshering, where Modi congratulated Dr. Lotay on his party’s victory in the third general election in Bhutan and his own election to the National Assembly. Prime Minister Modi welcomed the successful conduct of general elections, which …