People are raising concerns about public gatherings during the election period. The Election Commission of Bhutan also repeatedly reminded the people not to do so. People said gatherings in person can be seen happening during weddings, rituals, and at nightclubs. However, the ECB has not received any official complaints regarding gatherings as of now.
As the country gears up for the general round of the fourth National Assembly Elections, some people remain confused regarding the rules on public gatherings, especially during the election period.
“According to the election rules, people should not be having public gatherings. In my observation, I have seen many public gatherings happening at wedding celebrations and on social media,” said Jinpa Sherab, a resident of Thimphu.
“As the poll day is nearing when conducting annual rituals, some people seek permission, and some do not. Likewise, the ones who ask for permission also limit their guest list, whereas some invite many guests,” said Yeshi Phuntsho, a resident of Paro.
“Looking at Thimphu’s nightlife, we can see there are lots of gatherings happening due to parties and karaoke events,” said Aiyush Rai, a student.
“People do avoid public gatherings during the election period. However, when it comes to the rule of not having gatherings while conducting annual rituals, I feel it is a little strict on their part,” said Karma Kuenzang Tshering, a resident of Thimphu.
“Breaching the rule of public gatherings need not just be physical gatherings but creating larger groups on social media also seems like a breach of the rule for me,” said Suk Raj Mongar, another resident.
However, the Election Commission of Bhutan said they have not completely stopped public gatherings but have been continuously reminding people to avoid such gatherings to prevent allegations related to elections that may arise.
The ECB said people have been seeking permission from the commission and relevant authorities.
“We have always been reminding people to avoid gatherings because we do not want people to later be dragged into disputes. However, we do not impose restrictions on people participating in these gatherings. We have never stopped calendar events from happening,” said Phub Dorji, Director of Secretariat of ECB.
He added that the ECB and the Chief Election Coordinators of the districts have given approvals for unavoidable gatherings such as Tshechus, annual rituals, and weddings due to Lo-nag or inauspicious year. And they have been monitoring the events.
“We have given the authorities to the Chief Election Coordinators, who are the Dzongdas of the respective districts. The Dzongdas are there in the districts, and they know the sensitivity of the places well. That is why in some places, if the event is allowed, any issue can come up because Dzongdas know the nature of the people there and the sensitivity of the areas, so maybe the dzongkhag avoids it.
Moreover, the ECB said the Office of the Media Arbitrator along with the Social Media Monitors in the districts are monitoring all the news, programmes, advertisements, and social media content.
The poll day for the general round of elections is set for the 9th of January.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Tshering Zam
