The Bhutanese Leading the way.
An official complaint has been filed over the process and results of the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Presidential election held on 15 October.
In the first round with four contestants Dr Trashi Wangyel, President of the Construction Association of Bhutan (CAB) and Businesswoman and former BCCI President Aum Phub Zam received 14 votes each, while Sonam Chophel secured five votes and Phuntsho Wangdi received two votes.
With a tie in the first round, the BCCI decided to go for a second round between Dr Trashi Wangyel and Aum Phub Zam.
Dr Trashi won here securing 19 votes against Phub Zam, who received 15 votes.
In the official complaint filed by Aum Phub Zam later, she quoted Section 10.4 of the BCCI Charter which states that in the event of a tie, the president, or the interim president as the case may be, shall exercise the casting vote. Her letter says this was not done and instead a re-election was held in violation of this rule.
Another issue in the complaint letter is related to a notification issued on 12 October 2026 by BCCI. The notification stated that to uphold the integrity, transparency and fairness of the electoral process and prevent potential disputes or concerns regarding undue influence on voters, eligible voters were directed to refrain from organizing, hosting or participating in any gathering, dinner or social event intended to influence voters or otherwise compromise the fairness and impartiality of the upcoming BCCI election.
However, as per the complaint letter and video and photo evidence the president-elect was alleged to have organized a dinner for some eligible voters at a Hotel in Thimphu on 13 October 2026, in violation of the notification.
In response, Dr Trashi Wangyel said Clause 3.4 under Section 3 of the Guidelines for Conduct of Elections in Schools, Educational Institutions and Other Agencies, 2015, states that the concerned agency shall allow nominees for respective posts to campaign in an organized manner, allotting equal time to each candidate before Poll Day.
“My family members are out of Thimphu, and I just went there casually for my dinner at the hotel,” he said. He said it was an unfortunate coincidence that some people from the dzongkhag and a few people he knew were already at the hotel. “My intention is clear, and we didn’t talk anything about the elections,” he said.
The complaint letter said all candidates contesting for the BCCI presidency should abide by the Chamber’s rules and regulations and ensure that the election notification is not violated. The letter complaint said the rules should apply equally to every candidate and that all contestants should respect the notification issued to maintain the integrity, transparency and fairness of the electoral process.
The BCCI Election Facilitation Team (EFT), which is responsible for managing election processes, screening candidates, and handling official correspondence and nomination forms for leadership positions, including the president and vice presidents, confirmed it had received a written complaint from one of the aspiring candidates. The EFT said the complaint would be forwarded to the Election Dispute Settlement Committee for review. A 10-day cooling-off period has been initiated from 16 October.
The EFT highlighted that Section 463 of the Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections in Schools, Educational Institutions and Other Agencies states that if two or more candidates or parties secure an equal number of votes for the highest or second-highest position after the counting of votes is completed, the Election Commission shall order a re-election among the candidates or parties that receive equal votes.
The EFT said under Section 464, if two or more candidates secure an equal number of the highest votes in a re-election, the Returning Officer shall immediately decide the outcome by drawing lots in the presence of the candidates, parties or their representatives.
The EFT emphasized that under Section 465, read with Sections 443, 444, 445 and 455, a candidate declared elected by the Election Commission or the Returning Officer shall be issued a certificate of election in the prescribed form by the authority that declared them elected.
However, the final resolution will be determined by the Election Dispute Settlement Committee.
