The poll day for the Dzongkhag Thromde Tshogde Elections in Phuentshogling and Thimphu will be held on the 15th of next month. The Election Commission announced it today. This time, aspiring Thrompon candidates must have at least five years of work experience in the public or private sector, according to the amended Electoral By-Laws. A committee will also review and evaluate the campaign pledges of Thrompon candidates.
The selection procedure or the Dhamngoi Zomdu for Thrompon candidates and the signature process for aspiring candidates for the post of Thromde Tshogde Tshogpa will be held on Monday.
Candidates must submit their nomination papers latest by 20th of this month.
Verification of nomination papers will be done on June 21st following which approved candidates will be allowed to officially begin their election campaigns.
Director of Election Commission of Bhutan Secretariat, Phub Dorji, said, “We have issued the official notification on the election of the two Thromdes. With this we are prepared for the election processes. For instance, we have completed an advocacy and civic education programme for people in Phuentshogling Thromde and for Thimphu Thromde, we started today.”
This year’s election will also see the pilot implementation of the Election and Result Administration System for polling, result, and reporting processes alongside the existing system and procedures. The system is expected to reduce paperwork and improve data management.
Director Phub Dorji said, “Through the system, we will no longer need to manually separate the number of male and female voters or categorize them by age. It will also help identify which groups need more advocacy and civic education programmes in the future.”
On the polling day, all shops and offices in both Thromdes must remain closed. The results will be formally announced on July 16.
Sangay Chozom
