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Bhutan Politics - Elections |
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Gearing
up for 2008 elections
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When
Bhutanese above 18 years go to polls in the first general elections in
2008 would they participate in it intelligently and vote for the right
candidate?
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could if they know about the elections, its procedures and its significance,
say officials of the election commissioner's office which began yesterday
in Thimphu a training programme on the election procedures for representatives
from 20 dzongkhags.
The
three-day training programme will orient the representatives comprising
dzongrabs, administration officers, and other bureaucrats from across the
country on all aspects of elections like how parties will be formed, how
and who could vote and to operate the electronic voting machines. |
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The
programme is the first major step in electoral education from the election
commissioner's office in preparing for the 2008 general elections.
Although
Bhutanese people were not totally oblivious of the election processes,
having elected their own community leaders for past many years, the chief
election commissioner, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, said they had to presume that
the Bhutanese population was unaware of the election process.
The
representatives will also learn training methods and be provided with training
materials to disseminate the electoral mechanisms to the people of
their dzongkhags, villages and communities when they return home.
The
commissioner's office also has plans to create awareness through advertisements
in mass media, slogans, posters, through direct contact with voters, promoting
a feature film demonstrating the entire process of election and conducting
mock-sessions in some of the institutions.
Dasho
Kunzang Wangdi said that the office would also have to educate the electoral
officers, political parties and politicians themselves who would have to
be oriented with laws, regulations, principles and norms of the electoral
system.
"They
have to know the basic organisation," the chief election commissioner said.
Having prepared the electoral rolls for every constituency an election
drill is to be carried out sometime in April and August 2007 so that people
would have a "hands on experience on the elections".
The
chief justice, Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye, in his opening address said the process
of election was one of the facets of selfless devolution of power by His
Majesty the King to enable every Bhutanese to participate in collective
decision making, by electing a representative of their choice through a
free and fair election.
He
said the commission's preparation of the Bhutan electoral education and
training strategy would educate the voters, candidates and members of political
parties. "It is necessary to educate the voters so as to enable them to
participate in elections intelligently and elect the right candidate,"
said the chief justice.
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| Contributed
by Samten Wangchuk, Kuensel, Bhutan's National Newspaper, August 2006 |
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