The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The ECB has announced the election period is on and now it is up to the five political parties to compete with each other.
However, this election will be unique compared to the past elections because firstly, it has the most number of parties contesting with two new parties joining the fray on top of the three older parties.
Secondly, this election is expected to be less polarized than the 2018 and 2013 polls as both voters and candidates get more matured.
Thirdly, the election is taking place at a uniquely difficult time for the nation with an economy in poor shape and the huge ongoing exodus.
In that sense, there is a recognition among political parties that they cannot afford to make it an overtly aggressive contest and the winner will have a huge task ahead.
The main stress of the manifestos of all the parties is on the state of the economy and rightly so.
However, voters will not just go by the manifesto of the political parties that are of varying lengths with the longest one being three times the length of the party with the smallest manifesto in terms of numbers of pages.
What will also matter is how the party leaders connect with the people and the campaigning candidates carry out.
All parties have had time to meet the voters and also get themselves familiarized or reintroduced.
The voters recognize that Bhutan is at a major inflection point.
From here on there are only two options. Option one is that we succeed in our endeavors and get transformed for the better and option two is that we fail and witness a slow decline.
The party that will form the government will have to carry out far reaching changes and take the people along.
Leadership is not about the next election, it’s about the next generation.
Simon Sinek