Samdrup Jongkhar (Bhutan), April 19 (IANS) Bhutan is all set for the first
of the two rounds of mock parliamentary elections Saturday with the United
Nations and India deputing observers to monitor the polls.

"Everything is in place from electronic voting machines to poll personnel
for the dummy elections. Two teams of Indian Election Commission officials
and also from the United Nations would be present as observers," Dasho
Kunzang Wangdi, Bhutan's chief election commissioner, told IANS over the
phone from capital Thimphu.

The mock polls to be staged Saturday and May 28 are aimed at familiarising
voters and officials about procedures ahead of the first general elections
in 2008 when the kingdom shifts from monarchy to parliamentary democracy.

"We hope people would come forward to cast their votes. We have already
placed about 10,000 polling officials, including security personnel, for the
elections," Wangdi said.

An estimated 400,000 voters in the Himalayan kingdom of about 600,000 people
are eligible to exercise their franchise in 869 polling booths spread over
47 parliamentary constituencies.

"We have already distributed manifestoes for the elections in all the
constituencies with four dummy political parties being given respective
colours and symbols for the vote," the commissioner said.

"The two parties which get the highest number of votes Saturday will go on
to contest the final round."

The parties are being named Druk (Thunder Dragon) Blue Party, Druk Green
Party, Druk Red Party and Druk Yellow Party.

"Now people would vote for the parties in the primary round of elections
Saturday. In the final round of polls May 28, people would vote for
candidates of the two top parties that emerge victorious in the first
round," Wangdi said.

The official said candidates for the mock elections May 28 would be students
from high schools.

"We shall choose two students for each of the 47 constituencies to represent
the two top parties for the final round of vote," Wangdi said.

Bhutanese voters are, however, circumspect about the elections.

"We don't really know what is going to happen or whether this mock election
would serve any purpose," Pema Tashi, a young tourist guide in Samdrup
Jongkhar, told IANS.

This frontier town of Samdrup Jongkhar located in southeast Bhutan is about
110 km from Guwahati, the main city in India's northeastern state of Assam.

An opinion poll conducted by Bhutan's national newspaper Kuensel said only
41 percent of those who responded in the survey expressed their interest to
vote, while a majority 49 percent said they would not exercise their
franchise. The remaining respondents in the survey were undecided.

Despite the lukewarm response, Bhutan's Election Commission is making all
preparations, including declaring Friday and Saturday as dry days across the
country.

"In accordance with the Election Bill of the Kingdom of Bhutan, April 20 and
21 and May 27 and 28 are declared as dry days wherein no person shall sell
or serve liquor," the chief election commissioner said.

Former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck last December abdicated the throne in
favour of his eldest son, Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, 26.

The transition began in 2001 when the former king handed over the powers of
daily government to a council of ministers and empowered the National
Assembly to force a royal abdication if three-quarters of its membership
backed the motion.

Bhutan in 2004 unveiled a 34-point constitution and the same was sent to
some 530,000 citizens for their views. The constitution is expected to be
ratified after a referendum later this year. Once adopted, the constitution
will replace a royal decree of 1953 giving the monarch absolute power.