Results stunning, merry making for the DPT

Thimphu, March 25: Tuesday, the first day in Bhutan’s democracy, saw some merry making by the winning party cadres, who leadership has pledged to boost development and happiness.

In a press conference organized on Tuesday morning, Election Commission announced the result of the elections that Druk Phuensum Tshogpa won in all but three to the People’s Democratic Party in the run up to the Lower House.

The voters turnout was about 79 percent, much higher that National Council polls. Some 253,012 voters or 79.4 percent of the registered voters cast vote in the elections.

The polls began at 9 am and continued till 5 pm. Altogether 318,465 voters had registered their names in the rolls – 161,169 female and 157,296 male.

The Gelephu constituency in the southern district of Sarpang has the highest number of with 11,803 registered voters while Goenkhatoe-Laya constituency in Gasa district has the least 768 voters

The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) victory is unexpected for many, and really a dramatic result. Many hoped fierce battle. Unfortunately, the royal uncle Sangey Ngedup moved out of the fray, failing to get votes in his own constituency in Punakha.

The leaders of the DPT also said they were even stunned by the outcome of the results.

"The margin is overwhelming. It places a heavy burden on us. Expectations are very high both from the people and the king," Yeshley Zimba told reporters in Thimphu on Tuesday, adding, "We will be guided by the past but now the process will be a democratic process."

DPT president Jigme Y Thinley, a Sarchop or easterner by birth is expected to be the new prime minister under the new system. Thinely is, but, the real figure before the propagation of the new philosophy Gross National Happiness.

The new National Assembly has better combination of all sections of the people compared to the National Council whose elections concluded earlier. Bhutan News Service