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1 1 (September 6, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govemtt0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service ~ infermin g Ih legilative deba e sin e 1914 The Kingdom of Bhutan Background The Kingdom of Bhutan is a small, landlocked Himalayan country situated between India and the People's Republic of China (PRC, or China). The mountainous kingdom is about half the size of Indiana, with an estimated population of approximately 876,000. Hydropower (accounting for 63% of the country's exports by value), agriculture, and forestry development are the primary drivers of economic growth. With 60% forest cover and extensive hydropower, Bhutan is a carbon-negative country. Although Bhutan does not have diplomatic relations with any permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, including the United States, the U.S. State Department describes U.S.-Bhutan relations as warm and informal. The U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India, conducts consular responsibilities for Bhutan, and Bhutan maintains a consulate general in New York City. Geopolitical tensions between China and India along their Himalayan border have generally increased U.S. policymakers' interest in the region. Members of the 118t Congress have focused interest on Bhutan's human rights record and Chinese territorial claims in Bhutan. The Biden Administration has identified its primary strategic objective in Bhutan as the eventual normalization of relations while reinforcing support for Bhutanese sovereignty. The State Department describes Bhutan as playing an active role in supporting the rules-based international order, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, despite being one of the world's newest democracies. The Bhutanese government has consistently said that it seeks to expand U.S.-Bhutan cooperation. Bhutan has participated in a U.S. Agency for International Development regional program for South Asia directed at developing power infrastructure, and has implemented energy- and disaster- related programs intended to help mitigate some of the effects of climate change. The Constitution, Eetions, and the King Bhutan's constitution, implemented in 2008, established three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. The bicameral legislature includes the National Assembly, with 47 elected representatives, and the National Council, with 25 members, 5 of whom are selected by the king. Legislators serve five-year terms. The executive branch includes the monarch, currently King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, as Head of State, and the prime minister, presently Lotay Tshering, as Head of Government. The monarchy is hereditary, and the king appoints the majority leader in the parliament as prime minister. The king can be forced to abdicate by a two-thirds vote in the National Assembly. There is also a Council of Ministers, whose members are nominated by the king, in consultation with the prime minister, and approved by the National Assembly. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, the High Court, District Courts, and Sub-District Courts. Updated September 6, 2023 The Wangchuck dynasty, in power since 1907, has shaped Bhutan's democracy. Bhutan's path to democracy was not spurred by a popular movement but rather was spearheaded by the monarchy. After previous monarchs implemented incremental social and administrative reforms, current King Jigme Khesar Namgyel, in power since 2006, began the country's top-down democratic transition. In 2008, Bhutan's political system changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary government. Bhutan's first prime minister, Jigme Y. Thinley, came to power in the country's first elections in 2008. The 2008 elections were deemed free and fair by international election observers. Parliamentary elections were also held in 2013 and 2018. In 2018, the center-left Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa Party won 30 of 47 seats. The next election is due in October 2023. Figure I. Bhutan in Brief Source: CIA World Factbook, World Bank. Ethnic, Re-gious, and Refugee Issues Bhutan has four ethnic groups, most of which are associated with a region in the country: the Ngalops (westerners), the Sharchop (easterners), aboriginal people, and the Lhotshampa (southerners). The Ngalops migrated from Tibet to Bhutan around the ninth century. They introduced Tibetan culture and Mahayana Buddhism to Bhutan. The Ngalops are the majority in central, western, and northern Bhutan, and are culturally, religiously, and politically the country's most prominent group. The Sharchops 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. Lhotshampa, Hindus of Nepali descent, are the majority in the south.

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