Guwahati, May 26: India will help Bhutan to hold the first ever national elections in 2008 when the Himalayan kingdom formally makes its transition from a monarchy to a parliamentary democracy.

India's Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon and his Bhutanese counterpart Dasho Kunzang Wangdi signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on May 24.

Bhutan has sought the help of India's Election Commission to train Bhutanese citizens and its officials to participate in and conduct the historic polls.

"The exchange of visits, training of Bhutanese election workers, and the exposure to the electoral processes in India would go a long way in helping us to prepare for the historic elections," Wangdi was quoted as saying by the kingdom's government-run newspaper Kuensel.

Tandon during his meeting with Bhutanese election commission officials cautioned the Himalayan nation against the use of "money power and muscle power" when it goes to the polls.

"The judicial system also needed to work fast to prevent criminal elements influencing the voting," the Kuensel quoted India's Chief Election Commissioner as saying.

Bhutan's bid to hold the first ever national elections in 2008 has been formalised with King Jigme Singye Wangchuck appointing Wangdi as the chief election commissioner in January to finalise the constituencies for the polls.

The 50-year-old king in December 2005 made a landmark decision to abdicate the throne in favour of his eldest son, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, 25, before Bhutan adopts a constitution and elects a prime minister in 2008.

The transition began five years ago when the king handed over the powers of daily government to a council of ministers and empowered the national assembly to force a royal abdication if the motion was backed by three-quarters of its membership.

Bhutan last year unveiled a 34-point constitution, which is being sent to some 530,000 citizens for their views and is expected to be ratified after a referendum.

Once adopted, the constitution will replace a royal decree of 1953 giving the monarch absolute power.

King Wangchuck is the fourth ruler in the Wangchuck dynasty that came to power in December 1907.

The crown prince said the king would continue to play role of a watchdog in Bhutan, known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, despite the transition from absolute monarchy to democracy.


Courtesy :Indo-Asian News Service