According to a release from the election commission and based on the information the four political parties submitted along with the letter of intent, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has the highest total fund balance at Nu 8,836,217.
With Nu 2,279582, the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) has the second highest total fund balance, followed by Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) with Nu 1,987,340.
Bhutan Kyuen-Nyam Party (BKP) has a fund balance of Nu 1,224,388.
The party total fund balance, simply put, is the total amount that the parties have in their account at the time of submitting the Letter of Intent to contest the election.
In terms of party memberships, DNT has the highest registered members at 11,383. PDP has 5,520 members, while DPT has 4,705 and BKP 1,215, members.
The details about fund balance and membership are among the list of documents that the parties are required to submit at the time of submitting the Letter of Intent to contest.
Other documents include a tentative list of 47 candidates, income and expenditure statement of the last financial year, and list of 20 Dzongkhag Party Offices and contact details.
They are also required to submit social media links of their offices and candidates and their manifesto.
The two parties who fail to make it to the general round will have to submit their expenditure statements within a month after the primary round, while the winning parties must continue to submit weekly expenditure statement.
ECB says the parties are allowed to provide Nu 150,000 each to their candidates from the party account. The parties, however, must ensure the expenditure doesn’t exceed their total fund balance.
The commission said the National Observers in the fields will monitor and keep an eye on the party’s income statement and expenditure.
