CEC claimed election was successful

Thimphu, January 02: Chief Election Commissioner Kunzang Wangdi said the election held for the National Council, upper house of the Bhutanese parliament, was a huge success.

"We are pleased to say that the National Council elections were a success. We are confident that our switchover to a democratic set-up will be smooth and according to our plans," he further said on Tuesday.

Stating that voters’ turnout was satisfactory, he however, said everything was not smooth. It was because of the complaints received from the voters that bureaucratic hassles restricted them from voting.

The commissioner said it will submit the result of the election to king for approval of the 15 members elected in the first round. The second round is scheduled to he held on January 29 to elect another give. Remaining five will be nominated by the king.
 
"Bhutanese people are still not fully aware of the small details of parliamentary elections. But they are soon learning. The response this time was much more than the previous rounds of mock elections," Wangdi said. Bhutan News Service