Bhutan elects parliament for second time in its history

The tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan begins electing a new parliament today for only the second time in its history, five years after the Buddhist monarchy gave up its absolute power.

Voters will today choose members of the upper house National Council, a non-party body, then in the following weeks will decide which of five parties will form the next government in the National Assembly.

Since the start of this month, the 67 candidates for the 20 elected National Council seats - five more members will be appointed by King Jigme Khesar Wanchuk - have been holding debates and public meetings in their respective districts after a local selection process.

In the more remote areas, villagers have walked for hours, or even days, to attend the forums and question the candidates, and election staff have made similar long treks to set up and staff polling stations in hamlets inaccessible by road.

Election officials were making a fourth attempt yesterday to reach Lunana in the far north by means of Indian military helicopters after bad weather frustrated the first three tries. Today has been declared a public holiday and Bhutan's land borders will be closed for 24 hours over the election period.

The National Council, whose members have no party affiliation, monitors the actions of the government, reviews legislation and advises the king. It can also propose laws itself, provided they are not financial.