Bhutan Elections 2013

Bhutan Elections vis-à-vis Singapore Elections

Parliament
Bhutan
King (Constitutional Head of State)
Bicameral Parliament

• National Council (NC)
• National Assembly (NA)

Singapore
Unicameral Parliament


Election Level
Bhutan
1.  Local Government

2.  National Council

• Term: 5 years
• 25 seats (20 elected by majority vote, 5 by the monarch)

3. National Assembly

• Primary Round Elections & General Elections
• Term: 5 years
• 47 seats [ref. 2008-2012 term]
• Elected MPs

             - Single Member Constituencies (SMCs) only
             - No formation of Group Representation Constituencies (GRCs)

Singapore
1. Parliamentary

• General elections and By-elections (in case a Constituency is vacated)
• Term: 5 years
• 87 seats in parliament
• 3 types of MPs (Members of Parliament)

                  (1) Elected Member of Parliament (MPs)
                        - from SMCs (Single Member Constituencies),
                        - or GRCs (Group Representation Constituencies)
                  (2) Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP)
                        Appointed from the best performing opposition
                        political party members who lost in the general
                        election
                  (3) Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP)
                        Appointed by the President.
                        Not affiliated to any political party.
                        Do not represent any constituency.

2.  Presidential

• Term: 5 years

Political Party System
Bhutan
2-party system
Involving 2-phase constitutional process of Primary Round Elections and General Election:-

• 2013's Parties (NA), during Primary Round of Elections of May 28, 2013

          - Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party (BKP), subsquently disqualified
          - Druk Chirwang Tshogpa (DCT)
          - Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT)
          - Druk Phunsum Tshogpa (DPT)
          - People's Democratic Party (PDP)     

• 2013's Parties (NA), after Primary Round of Elections, for General Election of July 13, 2013

          - Druk Phunsum Tshogpa (DPT)
          - People's Democratic Party (PDP)

Singapore
Multi-party systems

As of 2013:

• MP (Member of Parliament):

          - People's Action Party (PAP) <80 MPs>
          - Workers' Party (WP) <7 MPs>

• NCMP (Non-constituency Member of Parliament):

          - Singapore People's Party (SPP) <1 NCMP>
          - Workers' Party (WP) <2 NCMPs>

• NMP (Nominated Member of Parliament):

          - No political party / no constituency <9 NMPs>


Constituencies
Bhutan
20 dzongkhags (administrative and judicial districts of Bhutan), with 47 constituencies

Singapore
27 constituencies


Voting Department
Bhutan
Election Commission of Bhutan

Singapore
Elections Department of Singapore


Who Can Vote?
Bhutan

• Citizen of Bhutan
• Except civilian members registered to religious organizations (monks, nuns, religious figures)
• Name must be registered in the constituency for at least one year
• At least 18 years old
• Driglam namzha (official behaviour and dress code) requirement to wear gho and kira
• Not disqualified from voting under the Election Act or other law in force

Singapore

• Citizen of Singapore
• Name must be on latest register of electors for the address in the constituency
• At least 21 years old
• No dress code
• Not disqualified from voting under the Election Act or other law in force

Election Date
Bhutan

• Parliamentary 3rd Round - July 13, 2013

Singapore

• Parliamentary 16th Round - May 07, 2011
• By-election for Punggol East SMC - January 26, 2013 

Cooling-off Day
Bhutan
48 Hours to Polling Day

Singapore
24 Hours to Polling Day


Maximum Terms
Bhutan
Retirement is mandated for most civil servants upon reaching age 65.

The Prime Minister cannot serve for more than 2 terms.
[Article 17, The Making of the Constitution, Bhutan]

Singapore
No mandatory cap.

July 10, 2013 · by Huang, Angie

© 2013 Bhutan Club. All rights reserved.