The Bhutanese Leading the way.
As the Thromde elections for the post of Thimphu and Phuentsholing Thrompons close in, there seems to be minimal participation in the common forums hosted in each demkhong of the Thromdes.
It is an important election that determines Thromde leadership and management for the next five years, and yet, while the candidates appear in each demkhong with high aspirations and promises, they are met with only a handful of participants or no participation from the public at all.
In Thimphu, the common forum started on 29th June 2026 with the Jungshina-Kawajangsa demkhong with zero participation, followed by Dechencholing-Taba with 14 attendants on the same day.
Common forums for the Babesa and Changangkha demkhongs saw zero participation, which was hosted on 30th June.
On 1st July 2026, Changbangdu-Olakha demkhong recorded 20 people. On the same day, the common forum for Motithang demkhong recorded 6 participants.
The last forum was held on 3rd July 2026 for the Norzin demkhong, which recorded 10 participants.
The highest attendance was recorded with the Changbangdu-Olakha demkhong, with about 20 voters present.
Despite the efforts put in by the ECB and other agencies to hold the common forums, an Election officer said that one of the main reasons may have been due to a large number of eligible voters attending the ongoing Kathrid empowerment at Kuenselphodrang.
While asking members of the public who are eligible voters, a 45-year old citizen said that she wasn’t aware that there was a common forum at all. Similarly, another citizen shared that while he knew there would be a common forum, he wasn’t aware when it would be held.
Another citizen Dorji (name changed) said that it may have been due to the fact that most people are busy with their own personal and professional duties and obligations.
On the other hand, in Phuentsholing, the only demkhong with no attendees was in the Toed demkhong.
Others are Pasakha with 24 present, Pekarzhing with 15, Rinchending with 9, Nyeda with 4 and Maed demkhong with one present.
An official from Phuentsholing said that compared to last time, the common forums saw more participants this time with greater participation.
As per the final electoral roll, Thimphu has 9,159 total eligible voters and Phuentsholing has 1,150 eligible voters. According to an official, common forums are always like this and that they do not show strong participation.
Common forums are an important platform for voters to know about their candidates.
It is a facility created and organized by the election authorities (the Election Commission of Bhutan and respective Dzongkhag Election Authorities) to provide candidates with a formal, neutral, and equal platform to present their manifestos and interact with the electorate.
They are mandatory events held during election campaigns in every Thromde. The forums provide an opportunity for voters to hear from the candidates in person and are held as per the schedule announced by the concerned Dzongkhag Election Authorities.
Eligible voters will vote for the candidates on the poll day, which is scheduled for 15th July 2026. For eligible voters in Thimphu, it is expected that more voters may come out during the polling day as the empowerment ends soon and gives a couple of days until the voting begins.
For critical cities like Thimphu and Phuentsholing, it is increasingly important to understand voting behaviors, public opinions and the elections in general, as the mayorship of these two cities will be crucial for the next five years of Thromde leadership.
