Elections in Bhutan

Bhutan uses single-member constituencies for its elections. The independent Election Commission of Bhutan, supported by Dzongkhag Electoral Officers, Registration Officers and Returning Officers, manages the electoral process. National institutions include the National Assembly and the National Council, while local government elections select representatives in Dzongkhags, Gewogs and Thromdes. The National Assembly is elected through two rounds. In the Primary Round, all registered political parties may compete in a nationwide party vote. The two parties with the highest and next-highest vote totals nominate constituency candidates for the General Election, and the candidate with the highest number of valid votes wins each Demkhong. If only two parties submit a Letter of Intent, the Primary Round is omitted. The National Assembly has a statutory maximum of 55 members; the 2024 configuration had 47 Demkhongs and 47 seats. The party that wins a majority of seats forms the Government under the command of the Druk Gyalpo. In the 2023–24 election, 498,135 voters were registered, 326,775 votes were cast and turnout was 65.6 percent. EVM voting accounted for 218,273 votes, while Postal Ballot and Special Early Voting accounted for 108,502. The National Council has 25 members: one elected member from each of Bhutan’s 20 Dzongkhags and five eminent persons nominated by the Druk Gyalpo. Candidates are independent and cannot belong to a political party. A Zomdu in Gewogs and Dzongkhag Thromdes selects nominees, followed by a Dzongkhag-wide vote in which the candidate with the highest number of valid votes wins. The 2023 National Council election had 485,811 registered voters, 265,441 votes and turnout of 54.64 percent. Local elections choose representatives for Dzongkhag Tshogdu, Gewog Tshogde and Thromde bodies. A Dzongkhag Tshogdu includes the Gup and Mangmi of each Gewog and representatives of the Dzongkhag Thromde or Yenlag Thromde. A Gewog Tshogde normally has seven to ten elected Tshogpas, including the Gup and Mangmi, and each Chiwog elects one Tshogpa. A Dzongkhag Thromde Tshogde has seven to ten members including the Thrompon. The Thrompon is directly elected and serves as chief executive and chair. Local-government bodies have a five-year term. The Druk Gyalpo calls National Assembly and National Council elections by Royal Decree. The Election Commission calls local-government elections. The nomination deadline can be no later than 30 days after the relevant notice or Primary Round result. Scrutiny follows on the next day, withdrawals take place two days later, and polling occurs no later than 30 days after withdrawal. The Election Commission publishes the election schedule, constituency boundaries, voter-roll information, polling stations and rules for EVM and postal voting. Parliament and local governments are reconstituted within 90 days after expiry or dissolution; the National Council is reconstituted when its term expires. A voter generally needs Bhutanese citizenship, a Civil Identification Document and at least 18 years of age on the qualifying date. Civil-registry registration and Gung or Mitsi registration in the constituency must normally have existed for at least one year. A voter may appear on only one Electoral Roll and vote in only one constituency. The Election Commission prepares the roll using civil-registry information and provides a period for public inspection. Claims and objections can be filed within 10 days, with an appeal to the Election Commission within a further 10 days. Changes to the parliamentary roll are embargoed during the 30 days before polling. Voters can check enrolment in the Bhutan Election Registration and Management System with their CID and date of birth. Only a person whose name appears on the current Electoral Roll can vote. Bhutan does not identify a compulsory-voting sanction in the reviewed official material. Polling day is a public holiday, and voting is normally conducted in person by secret ballot, with one vote per voter. The Election Commission may use electronic voting machines. Postal or online voting is legally available for specified groups, including diplomats and embassy staff abroad, people on special government duty abroad, members of the Armed Forces, election officials, civil servants, students and trainees, and qualifying spouses or dependants. The Election Commission can approve further groups. Official results use Postal Ballot and Special Early Voting procedures. Voters identify themselves with an original CID or an accepted Voter Photo Identity Card, and officials apply an indelible mark to the finger after voting. National Assembly and National Council candidates generally need Bhutanese citizenship, registration as a voter in the constituency, an age between 25 and 65 years and a formal university degree. National Council candidates must also remain outside political-party membership. Local-government candidates generally need to be between 25 and 65 years old, registered in the relevant constituency, functionally literate and able to perform the duties of office. A Thrompon needs a formal university degree and cannot belong to a political party. Disqualifications can include imprisonment for a criminal offence, corrupt practice, failure to submit an expense return, prohibited fundraising, a non-citizen spouse and certain pending felony or tax matters. A 2026 amendment also requires exemplary public or private service or performance for at least five years for National Assembly and Thrompon candidates and at least ten years for National Council candidates. Political parties contesting the National Assembly must register with the Election Commission, generally within one month of formation. Parties must have a broad national base and cannot exclude membership because of region, gender, language or religion. Foreign funding is prohibited. National Council and local-government candidates run without political-party membership. Campaigning follows the Election Code of Conduct, ends 48 hours before polling and includes rules for electronic media, advertising and social media. The Election Commission provides voter education, while common forums and debates may take place when scheduled. Complaints can be submitted through the Election Commission or relevant Dzongkhag authorities. The reviewed official material identifies no fee for voter registration or voting. A Public Election Fund supports registered parliamentary parties and candidates. Registered members may make voluntary party contributions within Election Commission ceilings, and the Election Commission sets election-expense limits. Candidates and parties keep day-to-day accounts and submit expense returns within 30 days after the result. Candidates and parties can be responsible for the conduct of their representatives. Polling and counting representatives and observers may monitor proceedings under the applicable rules. Assistance is available for blind, disabled, illiterate and remote voters. After polling, the Counting Supervisor checks seals and possible tampering, and representatives may inspect the process. A ballot can be invalid if it is blank, unauthenticated, ambiguous, contains multiple selections, uses the wrong ballot or mark, or is damaged or tampered with. EVM results are displayed and recorded on a result sheet. Postal ballots are scrutinised after the deadline and require the official envelope, declaration and authentication. The candidate with the highest number of valid votes wins. A tie for first place or for the second-highest position leads to a re-election; if the result is tied again, lots decide the outcome. The Election Commission publishes final results and constitutes local governments and the National Assembly by notification. The Druk Gyalpo summons Parliament after the National Assembly result. An election petition may be filed within 10 days after a constituency result by a candidate or, in the relevant cases, a constituency voter. National Assembly and National Council petitions go to the High Court, while local-government petitions go to the Dzongkhag Court. Appeals must generally be filed within 10 days: National Assembly and National Council matters go to the Supreme Court, and local-government matters go to the High Court. Grounds can include candidate qualification or disqualification, an electoral offence, improper acceptance or rejection of a nomination, an invalid or void vote, non-compliance with electoral rules or an unverifiable result. In the 2026 Thromde elections for Phuentshogling and Thimphu, 10,370 voters were registered, 3,518 votes were cast and turnout was 33.92 percent. A further local-government election for Gewog Tshogdes and Samdrup Jongkhar Thromde is indicated for 2027. Gelephu Thromde was not called in 2026 because of the self-administered GMC Authority.