Administration:
The form of government
in Bhutan is as unique as the country. It is the only Democratic
Theocracy in the world. His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuck
is Bhutan's fourth king.
A very special man who has kept
the culture and traditions of his country intact while listening
to the voice of his people. One of the six development goals HM
King Jigme Singye Wangchuck has expressed is "People's participation
and decentralization in the government".
Bhutan is divided into 20 dzongkhags
(dzong districts), each with its own elected 3 year representative.
The Tshogdu, or National Assembly has 154 members who fall into
3 categories. The largest groups with 105 members are the Chimis.
Representatives of Bhutan's 20 dzongkhas.
The regional monk bodies elect
12 monastic representatives who also serve 3-year terms. Another
37 representatives are civil servants nominated by the king. They
include 20 Dzongdas, (district officers or mayors: The old term
for Dzongdas is Penlops, the first king was the penlop of Paro and
Thimphu) ministers, secretaries of various government and other
high-ranking officials.
The National Assembly meets in Thimphu
once each year. Politics are firmly established on Constitutional
monarchy. Isolated from the outside world until trade and cultural
links were severed after the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet.
India has agreed to guide Bhutan in its foreign affairs due to the
border dispute between China and India.
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