National Assembly (Bhutan)


The National Assembly is the elected lower house of Bhutan's new bicameral Parliament which also comprises the Druk Gyalpo and the National Council. It is the more powerful house.

Current National Assembly

The current National Assembly has 47 members, first elected in the inaugural general election on March 24, 2008. Jigme Thinley's Druk Phuensum Tshogpa Party won a landslide victory, securing 45 seats. The People's Democratic Party won the other two, but its leader, Sangay Ngedup, lost the election in his constituency.
Under the 2008 Constitution, Article 12, section 1, the National Assembly consists of a maximum of 55 members directly elected by the citizens of constituencies within each Dzongkhag. Under this single-winner voting system, each constituency is represented by a single National Assembly member; each of the 20 Dzongkhags must be represented by between 2–7 members. Constituencies are reapportioned every 10 years. The National Assembly meets at least twice a year, and elects a Speaker and Deputy Speaker from among its members. Members and candidates are allowed to hold political party affiliation.
The 2013 National Assembly election resulted in large increase in percentage of PDP members, who will hold 32 seats to the DPT's 15 when the new assembly convenes.

History

The National Assembly was originally decreed in 1953 by King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck. The National Assembly began as a unicameral parliament within the King's framework for democratization. In 1971, King Jigme Dorji empowered the National Assembly to remove him or any of his successors with a two-thirds majority. The procedure for abdication remains a part of Bhutan's Constitution of 2008, with the addition of a three-fourth majority in a joint sitting of Parliament to confirm the involuntary abdication as well as a national referendum to finalize it.

Electoral system

The 47 members of the National Assembly are elected from single-member constituencies. Primary elections are held in which voters cast votes for parties. The top two parties are then able to field candidates in the main round of voting, in which members are elected using first-past-the-post voting.

Speakers

Complete list of Speakers of the National Assembly.
NameEntered OfficeLeft Office
Dasho Kesang Dawa19531955
Dasho Thinley Dorji19561963
Dasho Tamji Jagar19641965
Nidup Yanglop19661968
Dasho Kesang Dawa19691971
Dasho Shingkhar Lam19711974
Nidup Yanglop19741977
Dasho Tamji Jagar19771988
Lyonpo Sangye Penjor19881989
Dasho Passang Dorji19891997
Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji19972000
Dasho Ugyen Dorji20002007
Lyonpo Jigme Tshultim20082013
Lyonpo Jigme Zangpo20132018
Lyonpo Wangchuk Namgyel2018Present

Constituencies

The National Assembly, the lower of the Parliament of Bhutan, consists Members of Parliament. Each MP represents a single geographic constituency. Currently, there are 47 National Assembly constituencies.
National Assembly constituencies are distributed among the dzongkhags in proportion to their registered voter population as recommended by the Delimitation Commission, provided that "no Dzongkhag shall have less than two more than seven National Assembly constituencies."
Gelegphu constituency has the highest number of registered voter population with 16,283 registered voters; Khatoed_Laya constituency has the lowest number of registered voter population with 966 registered voters.
Out of the 20 dzongkhags of Bhutan, Trashigang, with five constituencies, has the highest number of National Assembly constituencies. Samtse, with four constituencies, has the second highest number of National Assembly constituencies. Mongar and Pema Gatshel, with three constituencies each, share the third highest position. All of the other 16 dzongkhags have two constituencies each.
The table below lists the 47 National Assembly constituencies with the name of the dzongkhag they are in, the number of constituent gewogs, and the number of registered voters.
CodeNameDzongkhagNumber of
Gewogs		Registered
voter
population
NA0101Chhoekhor_TangBumthang25721
NA0102Chhumig_UraBumthang23498
NA0201Bongo_ChapchhaChhukha513512
NA0202PhuentshoglingChhukha610228
NA0301Drukjeygang_ TsezaDagana711521
NA0302Lhamoi Dzingkha _TashidingDagana711327
NA0401Khamaed_LunanaGasa2968
NA0402Khatoed_LayaGasa2966
NA0501Bji_Kar-tshog_UesuHaa33982
NA0502SangbaykhaHaa33361
NA0601Gangzur_MinjeyLhuentse47717
NA0602Maenbi_TsaenkharLhuentse47644
NA0701Dramedtse_NgatshangMongar712600
NA0702Kengkhar_WeringlaMongar510254
NA0703MonggarMongar510008
NA0801Dokar_SharpaParo48209
NA0802Lamgong_WangchangParo69512
NA0901Khar_YurungPema Gatshel59032
NA0902Nanong_ShumarPema Gatshel38809
NA0903NganglamPema Gatshel36662
NA1001Kabisa_TalogPunakha69293
NA1002Lingmukha_ToedwangPunakha56475
NA1101Dewathang_GomdarSamdrup Jongkhar513429
NA1102Jomotsangkha_MartshalaSamdrup Jongkhar610153
NA1201Dophuchen_TadingSamtse412536
NA1202Phuentshogpelri_SamtseSamtse310229
NA1203TashichhoelingSamtse412376
NA1204Ugyentse_YoeseltseSamtse49186
NA1301GelegphuSarpang716283
NA1302ShompangkhaSarpang512451
NA1401North Thimphu Thromde_Kawang_Lingzhi_Naro_SoeThimphu45446
NA1402South Thimphu Thromde_Chang_Darkarla_Ge-nyen_MaedwangThimphu48124
NA1501Bartsham_ShongphuTrashigang410688
NA1502Kanglung_Samkhar_UdzorongTrashigang310311
NA1503Radhi_SagtengTrashigang49155
NA1504ThrimshingTrashigang26550
NA1505WamrongTrashigang27821
NA1601Boomdeling_JamkharTrashi Yangtse48793
NA1602Khamdang_RamjarTrashi Yangtse48740
NA1701Draagteng_LangthilTrongsa35558
NA1702Nubi_TangsibjiTrongsa24163
NA1801Kilkhorthang_MendrelgangTsirang611080
NA1802Sergithang_TsirangtoedTsirang610527
NA1901Athang_ThedtshoWangdue Phodrang89249
NA1902Nyishog_SaephuWangdue Phodrang79635
NA2001Bardo_TrongZhemgang410157
NA2002PanbangZhemgang47211