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1 1 (May 25, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govcfxr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF. , ,iE S .r. & , May 25, 2017 The Kingdom of Bhutan The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small, landlocked Himalayan country situated between India and China. The mountainous kingdom is about half the size of Indiana, with an estimated population of 792,000, approximately a quarter of which is in the capital, Thimphu. Bhutan's economy has grown primarily as a result of hydropower, agriculture, and forestry development. The United States has no significant trade relations with Bhutan, and its foreign aid mission and bilateral consular affairs are handled by the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. Bhutan has participated in a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) regional program for South Asia directed at developing power infrastructure, and it has implemented programs intended to help mitigate some of the effects of climate change. Bhutan in Brief Form of Government: Constitutional Monarchy Head of State: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck Area: 18,146 square miles, or about half the size of Indiana Geography: Mountainous country with 2.6% arable land located between China and India Population: 792,000 with 1.05% annual growth Religion: 75.3% Buddhist, 22. 1% Hindu, and 2.6% other Life Expectancy: 70.1 years (2016 est.) Literacy: 64.9% (2016 est.) Poverty: 13% live below the poverty line (2012 est.) Unemployment: 2.5% (est. December 2016) GDP Growth/Per Capita (PPP): 6.5% (2015)/$2,532 (2016) Origins of GDP: Agric. 16.4%, Industry 42. 1%, Services 41.5% Principal Exports: Electricity, ferrosilicon, cement, calcium carbide, copper wire, manganese, and vegetable oil Sources: CIA World Handbook, World Bank 2016. Tkhe-m Constitudior,, Rkeknt Ek-ctkcns and~ The constitution of Bhutan establishes three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The bicameral legislature, or Chi Tshog, includes the National Assembly (Tshogdu), with 47 elected representatives, and the National Council (Gyelyong Tshongde), with 25 members, 5 of which are selected by the king. Legislators serve five-year terms. The executive branch includes the Dragon King (Druk Gyalpo), currently King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, as Head of State, and the prime minister, presently Tshering Tobgay, as Head of Government. The king is hereditary and appoints the majority leader in the parliament as prime minister. There is also a Council of Ministers (LhengyeZhungtshog), whose members are nominated by the king, in consultation with the prime minister, and approved by the National Assembly. Ministers serve five-year terms. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, the High Court, District Courts (Dzongkhag), and Sub-District Courts (Dungkhag). The Supreme Court has five members. The Chief Justice, appointed by the king, serves up to two five-year terms, and the four Associate Justices (Drangpons) serve up to two 10- year terms. Bhutan's path to democracy was not spurred by a popular movement but was initiated and encouraged by the fourth king and fifth king of the Wangchuck dynasty. According to Bhutan's first prime minister, Jigme Y. Thinley, who came to power in the country's first election of 2008, the Bhutanese people were apprehensive about the new system because in many of the countries, democracy had failed or was in the process of failing, and leading to tremendous upheavals, strife among the people. The king, however, insisted that the long-term interests of the people were best served by elected leaders. The first election went smoothly in 2008, and the second election, in 2013, brought a peaceful transition of power in which the opposition People's Democratic Party won 32 of the 42 elected National Assembly seats. The birth of the hereditary Wangchuck dynasty in 1907 has shaped Bhutan's democracy. The first ruler, King Ugyen (1907-1926), introduced reforms and Western education. The second ruler, King Jigme (1926-1952), continued his father's moderation and centralization efforts by building more schools and roads and bringing public institutions under government control. Two generations later, the third ruler, King Jigme Dorji (1952-1972), established a high court, introduced a bicameral legislative branch, set up a planning commission, and created the Council of Ministers. The sudden death of the third king brought his son, King Jigme Singye (1972-2006), to power, and, like his forefathers, King Jigme Singye continued his father's legacy. In 2006, the fourth King abdicated in favor of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel, who started a top-down democratic process. In July 2008, Bhutan's political system changed from an absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary form of government. Bhutan has four ethnic groups: the Ngalops (westerners), the Sharchop (easterners), aboriginal groups, and the Lhotshampa (southerners). The Ngalops migrated from Tibet to Bhutan around the ninth century CE. They introduced Tibetan culture and Mahayana Buddhism to Bhutan. The Ngalops are the majority in central, western, and northern Bhutan, and they dominate cultural, religious, and political elements in modern Bhutan. The Sharchops, an Indo-Mongoloid origin, are thought to have originated from Assam, in present-day India, or perhaps Burma, and they also practice Mahayana Buddhism. Several aboriginal groups (Drokpa, Lepcha, Doya) live and practice Hinduism throughout Bhutan. Hindu Nepali settlers, the fourth group, are the majority in the south. These southerners, or Lhotshampa, arrived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries h i g.,3;ic , . ,5 ? .),. :cOri .' 3 : p\w -- , gnom goo mppm qq\ a , q 's I 11LIANJILiN,

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