Parliament session begins

Thimphu, May 08: The first sitting of the Bhutan’s parliament began in the capital on Thursday, with members and parties expressing commitments to ushering ‘democracy’.

The 72 parliamentarians, 25 of the upper house National Council and 47 of the lower house National Assembly gathered at the NA hall in their sitting.

King Jigme Khesar had called the joint sitting of the parliament for today.

The whole session was carried out in Dzongkha, which seemed difficult for most parliamentarians from eastern and southern districts. They had said they began preparing for improvement in their Dzongkha proficiency since weeks.

Among important tasks, the parliament will endorse the constitution formally transforming the country from absolute monarchy to constitutional. However, the monarchy retains major political powers in the constitution. Bhutan News Service