While plans to establish Samtse as the fifth Dzongkhag Thromde is still on, it might have to be routed through the Parliament again. The Prime Minister during meet the press, last week, said the thromde delimitation set in 2015 by the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) has to be expanded in order to accommodate Samtse’s new thromde.
As the footprint of 111th National Day celebrations in Samtse in 2018, the Prime Minister, Dr Lotay Tshering, announced that a Dzongkhag Thromde would be established in Samtse along with several other National Day Footprints Initiative.
“Regarding the thromde, I have formed an expert team and they have submitted their review. Right now the number of constituents in the given delimitation is less. We need to expand and move out some agencies. If we expand, the set delimitation changes. That’s why we need a delimitation commission, and ultimately the delimitation matter will go to Parliament,” said Dr Lotay Tshering, the Prime Minister.
Lyonchhen said the Department of Local Governance is reviewing the Local Government Act of Bhutan and the local government delimitation for all 20 districts.
The delimitations were set by the ECB in 2015 when the Parliament decided to establish dzongkhag and Yenlag thromde in all 20 districts. A decision, which was later, stopped by a Supreme Court’s writ, which asked the ECB to defer thromde elections in the remaining 16 districts.
Sherub Dorji
