Bhutan Government

What is the capital of Bhutan?

Country Name	Bhutan
Full Country Name	Kingdom of Bhutan
Local - Long	Druk Gyalkhap
Local - Short	Druk Yul
Etymology- history of name	Named after the Bhotia, the ethnic Tibetans who migrated from Tibet to Bhutan; "Bod" is the Tibetan name for their land; the Bhutanese name "Druk Yul" means "Land of the Thunder Dragon"
Government Type	Constitutional monarchy
Capital Name	Thimphu
Capital - geographic coordinate	27 28 N, 89 38 E
Capital Time Difference	UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Independence	17 December 1907 (became a unified kingdom under its first hereditary king)
National Holiday	National Day (Ugyen WANGCHUCK became first hereditary king), 17 December (1907)
Constitution	History: previous governing documents were various royal decrees; the first constitution was drafted in November 2001 - March 2005, ratified on 18 July 2008 Amendments: proposed as a motion by simple majority vote in a joint session of Parliament; passage requires at least a three-fourths majority vote in a joint session of the next Parliament and assented to by the king; amended 2011

Bhutan Capital City Map

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Bhutan Government and Politics

Who is the president of Bhutan?

Executive Branch:	Chief of State: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK (since 14 December 2006); note - King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK abdicated the throne on 14 December 2006 to his son Head of Government: Prime Minister Lotay TSHERING (since 7 November 2018) Cabinet: Council of Ministers or Lhengye Zhungtshog members nominated by the monarch in consultation with the prime minister and approved by the National Assembly; members serve 5-year terms Elections/Appointments: the monarchy is hereditary but can be removed by a two-thirds vote of Parliament; the leader of the majority party in Parliament is nominated as the prime minister, appointed by the monarch
Citizenship Criteria:	Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent Only: the father must be a citizen of Bhutan Dual Citizenship Recognized: no Residency Requirement for Naturalization: 10 years
Legal System:	Civil law based on Buddhist religious law
Suffrage:	18 years of age; universal
Legislative Branch:	Description: bicameral Parliament or Chi Tshog consists of: Non-partisan National Council or Gyelyong Tshogde (25 seats; 20 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 5 members appointed by the king; members serve 5-year terms) National Assembly or Tshogdu (47 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms) Elections: The National Council election was last held on 20 April 2018 (next to be held in 2023) National Assembly - the first round was held on 15 September 2018 and the second round was held on 18 October 2018 (next to be held in 2023) Election Results: National Council - seats by party - independent 20 (all candidates ran as independents); composition - men 23, women 2, percent of women 8% National Assembly - first round - percent of vote by party - DNT 31.9%, DPT 30.9%, PDP 27.4%, BKP 9.8%; second round - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DNT 30, DPT 17; composition - men 40, women 7, percent of women 14.9%; note - total Parliament percent of women 12.5%
Judicial Branch:	Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 5 justices including the chief justice); note - the Supreme Court has sole jurisdiction in constitutional matters Judge Selection and Term of Office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the National Judicial Commission, a 4-member body to include the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly, the attorney general, the Chief Justice of Bhutan, and the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; other judges (drangpons) appointed by the monarch from among the High Court judges selected by the National Judicial Commission; chief justice serves a 5-year term or until reaching age 65 years, whichever is earlier; the 4 other judges serve 10-year terms or until age 65, whichever is earlier Subordinate Courts: High Court (first appellate court); District or Dzongkhag Courts; sub-district or Dungkhag Courtshighest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of 5 justices including the chief justice); note - the Supreme Court has sole jurisdiction in constitutional matters Judge Selection and Term of Office: Supreme Court chief justice appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the National Judicial Commission, a 4-member body to include the Legislative Committee of the National Assembly, the attorney general, the Chief Justice of Bhutan, and the senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court; other judges (drangpons) appointed by the monarch from among the High Court judges selected by the National Judicial Commission; chief justice serves a 5-year term or until reaching age 65 years, whichever is earlier; the 4 other judges serve 10-year terms or until age 65, whichever is earlier Subordinate Courts: High Court (first appellate court); District or Dzongkhag Courts; sub-district or Dungkhag Courts
Regions or States:	20 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha, Chirang, Daga, Gasa, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel, Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Tashi Yangtse, Thimphu, Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
Political Parties and Leaders:	Bhutan Kuen-Nyam Party or BKP [Dasho Neten ZANGMO] Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (Druk Phuensum Tshogpa) or DPT [Pema GYAMTSHO] Druk Chirwang Tshogpa or DCT [Lily WANGCHUK] Druk Nymarup Tshogpa or DNT [Tandin DORJI] People's Democratic Party or PDP [Tshering TOBGAY]
International Law Organization Participation:	Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International Organization Participation:	ADB, BIMSTEC, CP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic Representation in the US:	None; note - the Permanent Mission to the UN for Bhutan has consular jurisdiction in the US; the permanent representative to the UN is Kunzang C. NAMGYEL (since February 2014); address: 343 East 43rd Street, New York, NY 10017; telephone [1] (212) 682-2268; FAX [1] (212) 661-0551 Consulate(s) General: New York
Diplomatic Representation from US:	The US and Bhutan have no formal diplomatic relations, although frequent informal contact is maintained via the US embassy in New Delhi (India) and Bhutan's Permanent Mission to the UN

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