V.

Government of Bhutan

From 1907 until 1998 Bhutan was an absolute monarchy. Its king, called the druk gyalpo (dragon king), served as both head of state and government. In governing Bhutan the king consulted with his royal advisory council, a 150-member National Assembly (instituted in 1953), and the head abbot of Bhutan’s Buddhist monks.

In 1998 the reigning king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, voluntarily relinquished his role as head of government and introduced a modified form of constitutional monarchy. Under reforms that he introduced by royal edict, executive power was vested in a Council of Ministers. The chairman of the Council of Ministers served as head of government. The 1998 reforms gave the National Assembly the power to vote, by a two-thirds majority, to require the king to abdicate in favor of his successor. In 2001 the king issued a decree setting up a committee to draft Bhutan’s first constitution, which would formally establish a constitutional monarchy with a democratic system of government. The draft constitution, unveiled to the public in 2005, was to be approved by referendum.

A new bicameral (two-chamber) parliament was established in 2008, comprising the National Assembly and the National Council. The National Assembly has 47 members, who are directly elected in multimember constituencies. In the 25-seat National Council, 20 members are directly elected in single-member constituencies and 5 members are appointed by the monarch. Members of both chambers serve 5-year terms.

Civil laws in Bhutan have been influenced by traditional Buddhist law. Village heads resolve minor civil disputes. The principal trial courts are a High Court and district courts; the king is the final, highest level of appeal in Bhutan.

Bhutan joined the UN in 1971. It receives most of its foreign aid for development from India and from international organizations such as the Asian Development Bank and the UN. India is Bhutan’s de facto military protector and weapons supplier. It also provides advanced training to the Bhutan Army, which numbers about 6,000. Bhutan pays India an annual sum in return for these services.