Thrompons of Thimphu, Gelegphu and Phuentshogling will vacate their office tomorrow on completion of their five-year term. However, they won’t be allowed to campaign even if they are planning to run for the office again. This will also apply to all the aspiring candidates for the upcoming thromde local elections. According to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB), the election campaigns shall be permitted only after the announcement by the commission calling the local government elections.
As per section 268 of the Election Act of Kingdom of Bhutan 2008, the election campaign shall be permitted to commence from the date of issue of notification by a Royal Decree calling an election as announced, or notified in the case of Local Government elections by the Election Commission and end 48 hours prior to the hour fixed for the commencement of poll for the election.
“The campaigns can be done only after the announcement made by the ECB calling for the local government elections. So, in case, some people are doing, some candidates contesting are doing before the notification calling for an election, if they are found doing it, so they will be dealt as per the electoral laws,” said Phub Dorji, the Head of the Department of Civic and Electoral Training at the ECB.
He said, although the dates are not decided, the commission is prepared to conduct elections.
“We are keeping all the situations in mind, the ECB has already worked out the strategies, documents ready to conduct elections in such a situation and we are also planning to do a mock in-house poll day so that we can still learn what are some of the things to put in place but as far as we are concerned, we are prepared to conduct the elections.”
Going by the talk in the towns, there will likely be around six aspiring Thrompon candidates in Phuentshogling, about four in Thimphu and three in Gelegphu.
And, as per the ECB, there are seven Tshogpa constituencies in Thimphu, six each in Gelegphu and Phuentsholing thromdes.
Meanwhile, the Thromde local election in Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde will be conducted later in the year after the completion of the tenure of the present Thrompon in October. This is because, during the first Thromde election in 2011, there were no contestants in some of the Tshogde Demkhong in Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde leading to the incomplete quorum. Only after conducting elections for the vacant Tshogde Demkhongs, they were able to conduct the Thromde local election. Thus, the delay.
Pema Seldon Tshering
