King drags Bhutan into democracy and first elections

By Simon Denyer

THIMPU (Reuters) -The tiny and deeply traditional Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan takes a slightly nervous step into the modern world on Monday when it holds the first parliamentary elections in its history.

Its northern neighbour Tibet may be writhing in protest under Chinese rule, but Buddhist Bhutan, a nation of just 600,000 people, is making a different kind of history.

Bhutan's fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, not only surrendered power without a struggle, he actually imposed democracy against the will of many of his subjects, before abdicating in favour of his Oxford-educated son in 2006.

"At first people were pleading with the king not to do this," said Kinley Dorji, managing director of the state-owned newspaper Kuensel. "People were looking around at what is happening in South Asia and saying 'no thankyou'."

"But His Majesty said you can't leave such a small, vulnerable country in the hands of only one man, who was chosen by birth and not by merit."

Bhutan had been largely peaceful under a century of royal rule, aside from ethnic tensions that erupted in 1990. The chaos, conflict and corruption of democracy in its giant southern neighbour India left many people scared.

In 1960, Bhutan was a medieval place, with no roads, cars or hospitals. It has hauled many of its people out of poverty since then, but is still only opening up slowly.

Even today national dress is compulsory, knee-length robes with long socks for men, elegant gowns for women. Criticism of the elite was almost unheard of, even a year ago.