THIMPHU: Former prime minister Tshering Tobgay’s party won Bhu­tan’s election on Tues­day, media reported, after polls dominated by economic threats challenging the Himalayan kingdom’s longstanding policy of prioritising “Gross National Happ­iness” over growth.

Foremost in the minds of many who voted are the struggles facing the Buddhist-majority kingdom’s younger generation, with chronic youth unemployment and a brain drain.

Both parties in the election are committed to a constitutionally enshrined philosophy of a government that measures its success by the “happiness and well-being of the people”.

Tobgay’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament, The Bhutanese newspaper reported, with the 58-year-old conservation advocate expected to become premier for the second time.

Tobgay’s PDP “wins the 2024 National Assembly general elections with 30 seats” while the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) took the remaining 17, the paper said, based on preliminary results from each constituency.

There was no immediate confirmation from the Election Commission, which is expected to release final results on Wednesday, according to an official timetable released ahead of the polls.

Some voters had to trek for days to cast their ballots in the landlocked mountain nation of about 800,000 people, similar in area to Switzerland.

“Job opportunities in Bhutan are scarce and the new government should focus on solving this, so young people don’t leave abroad for greener pastures,” said 22-year-old student Ugyen Tshering, after voting in the chilly mountain air in the capital Thimphu, with Buddhist prayer flags fluttering in the background.

Bhutan’s youth unemployment rate stands at 29 per cent, according to the World Bank, while economic growth has sputtered along at an average of 1.7pc over the past five years.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2024