Bhutan
A-WEB World Election Database Survey 2024
Questionnaire
(1)Member
EMB Information
1. Country where your organization is located: Bhutan
2. Name of your organization: Election Commission of
Bhutan
3. Date of your organization’s establishment: December 31, 2005
4. Type of organization: Constitutionally
independent organization
5. Composition of Commissioners (eg., Chairperson, two
Vice Chairpersons, one Secretary General, nine Commissioners): Chief
Election Commissioner and two Election Commissioners
6. Method of selecting the Chairperson:
□
Elected □ Appointed
7. Term of the Chairperson (Head) of your organization (please select one):
□ Until
retirement age
□ Permanent
with no limit
□ Fixed
term (years) : 5 Years
- Reappointment
possible: □ Yes □ No
8. Total number of staff (based on full-time
employees at all levels of organization): 106
9. Primary roles and functions of the Organization (please select all that apply):
□ Election
management
□ Voter
registration
□ Delimitation
of electoral districts
□ Management
of political party affairs
□ Management
of political funds affairs
□ Enactment
and amendment of the Election Law
□ Voter
education
□ Mediation
of electoral disputes
□ Investigation
and enforcement against election law violations
(2)World
Election Database
Ⅰ.
National System
1. Form of Government:
□ Presidential
system
□ Parliamentary
system
□ Semi-presidential
system
□ Other
(please specify): Democratic Constitutional Monarchy
2. Term of the President (if applicable): ( ) years,
2-1.Reappointment possible: □ Yes □ No
3. National Assembly:
□ Unicameral
□ Bicameral
4. If Unicameral:
4-1. Term of Members of Parliament: (
) years
4-2. Limit on the number of
reappointments: □ Yes □ No
4-3. Number of seats in the
Parliament: ( )
5. If Bicameral:
5-1. Term of Members of the Upper House: ( 5 ) years
5-2. Limit on the number of reappointments: □Yes □No
5-3. Number of seats in the Upper House: ( 25 )
5-4. Term of Members of the Lower House: ( 5 )
years
5-5. Limit on the number of reappointments: □Yes □No
5-6. Number of seats in the Lower House: ( 47 )
Ⅱ. General Electoral System
6. Presidential Election: □ Direct □ Indirect
6-1. Runoff voting system in the Presidential Election: □ Yes □ No
7. Parliamentary Election:
7-1. Upper House:
□ Direct □ Indirect
□ Majoritarian □Proportional □Mixed
(Majoritarian_______ %, Proportional _______%)
7-2. Unicameral or Lower House:
□ Direct □ Indirect
□ Majoritarian □Proportional □Mixed
(Majoritarian _______%, Proportional _______%)
Ⅲ. Recent Election Status
8. What was the most recent election held? (It can be the last election, no matter how long ago)
8-1. Type of election:
□ Presidential □ Parliamentary □ Local □Referendum □Others
(please specify): ________________________
8-2. Date of the most recent election held (if the exact date is unavailable, please provide the year): January
9, 2024
*Please answer the following questions (9-13) based on
the most recent election you mentioned above:
9. Number of polling stations:
□ Domestic ___809____ □ Overseas
____0____
10. Opening/Closing time of polling stations: _8am to 4pm
11. Number of registered voters: __498,135
12. Voter turnout (%):
65.6%
13. Did your Organization run international election observation program?
□ Yes □No □Other:
________________________
Ⅳ.Electoral
System: Voting and Counting Procedures
14. Voting age: _______18________
15. Age of candidacy:
15-1. President: ___________
15-2. Member of Parliament:
25-65
16. Is overseas voting allowed? □ Yes □ No
17. Please select all applicable methods for overseas voting:
□ Mail □ Visit to
Embassy/Consulate □ Other (please specify):
18. Is voting compulsory? □ Yes □ No
19. Please check all special voting methods available:
□ Advance voting (early in-person voting)
□ Postal voting
□ Mobile booth voting
□ Proxy voting
□ Voting assistance for individuals with
neurodevelopmental or physical disabilities
or senior citizens
□ Other (please specify):
20. The primary status of the staff involved in voting and ballot
counting:
□ Civil Servants □ Civilians
21. Is biometric data (fingerprints, photo, signatures, etc.) used to
verify voters on election day?
□Yes □ No □ Other:
________________________
22. How is voting conducted? (please select all
that apply):
□ Manual (marking a paper ballot and placing it in
the ballot box)
□ Electronic- optical scanner
□ Electronic- touch screen voting
□ Electronic- internet voting
□ Other: ________________________
23. How is the vote counting conducted? (please select all
that apply):
□ Manual □ Electronic □ Other
24. Where is the vote counting conducted? (please select all that apply):
□ At each polling station □ At
a central counting center
25. When does vote counting begin? (please select all
that apply):
□ Immediately after voting ends □The
following day □ Other:
26. How long does it take from the election day to announce the results? Official Results are announced the
following day
27. Is there a unified voter registry?
□ Centralized national registry □Multiple
regional registries
28. How often is the voter registry updated?
□Monthly □Annually □Only before
elections □ Other (please specify):
29. Does the voter need to personally register to vote?
□Yes □ No
Ⅴ. Political
Funds
30. Is there a system where the national or local government partially
covers the election campaign costs
for candidates?
□ Yes (including conditional coverage) □ No
31. Does the national or local government provide subsidies (separate
from campaign costs) for the
operation of political parties or elections?
□ Yes □ No
32. Is there a limit on election expenses?
□ Yes □ No
33. Are the details of candidates' election expenditures posted online?
□ Yes □ No
________previous answer_________
○ Parliamentary Elections
· Parliamentary(National Council)
- Seats: 25
- Term of office: 5 years
· Parliamentary(National Assembly)
- Seats: 47
- Term of office: 5 years
○ Election system
· Number of polling stations: 809
· Opening and closing time of polling stations
- 8 am and 4 pm respectively
· Number of registered voters: 498,135 (2024 election)
· Voter turnout: 65.6% (2024 National Council election)
· Voting age: 18
- Presidential: The King is hereditary head of state. Prime Minister is appointed by the ruling party.
- Parliamentary
1. In the National Council (Gyelyong Tshogde), 20 members are elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies and 5 members are appointed by the monarch.
2. In the National Assembly (Gyelyong Tshogdu) 47 members are elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies.
· Voting process
1. At the polling booth, a voter produces her/his Voter Photo Identity Card (VPIC).
2. The voter's identity is verified in the Electoral Search System/Voter List.
3. The voter receives a signed Voter's Slip, after verification, releases the 'Ballot' button of the Electronic Voting Machine to cast her/his vote.
· Counting process
1. Votes are counted under the general supervision.
2. The result is tallied by the Returning Officer and is published, and successful candidates are notified by their respective bodies.