A year after the parliament endorsed the establishment of 16 dzongkhag thromdes, the Supreme Court issued a writ to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) to defer thromde elections in these dzongkhags. The writ was issued in August 2016 when these dzongkhags were preparing for the thromde elections. But for the remaining four thromdes of Gelegphu, Phuentshogling, Samdrup Jongkhar and Thimphu, the election was conducted as scheduled.