Four hundred thirty two thousand thirty (432,030) eligible voters have registered to vote in the 3rd National Council elections next month. This is as per the final electoral roll released by the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) last week.
The electoral roll is a list of persons who are eligible voters and have registered to vote in a particular district. It has to be finalised a month prior to the poll day.
The final electoral roll can be checked either at the dzongkhag election offices or offices of the returning officers and also at the head office in Thimphu.
Women voters account for 51 per cent (220,881) of the total registered eligible voters, while men make up 48.8 per cent (211,149), meaning the number of female voters is slightly higher than that of male voters.
However, when it comes to candidates, only a mere six are women. The remaining 121 are male.
Trashigang has over 46,983 voters, making it the dzongkhag with the largest voter population. With just 2,000 eligible voters, Gasa has the least number of voters.
Of the total registered eligible voters in the country, 88,915, including 1,964 Bhutanese living overseas, have registered as Postal Voters.
Over the last 10 years, the number of eligible voters has increased by 119,213.
127 candidates are vying for a seat in the National Council this time. The poll day has been set on April 20, which is less than a month away.
Currently, public debates for the National Council candidates are happening. The debates are being conducted by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) in collaboration with the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB).
The debates start from 6 PM and are being aired LIVE on both BBS TV Channels and Radio Channel 2. Click here http://www.bbs.bt/news/?page_id=91790 for public debate schedule.
