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Bhutan GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Government: World's only Buddist kingdom. De
facto
constitutional monarchy with Druk Gyalpo (Dragon King)
head of
state and head of government. Royal family members serve
as close
advisers and heads of some ministries. Executive comprises
Royal
Advisory Council and Council of Ministers. Unicameral
National
Assembly (Tshogdu), two-thirds of its 150
members--representatives
of general public--indirectly elected every three years,
balance
are monastic representatives appointed by Buddhist
hierarchy and
government officials appointed by Druk Gyalpo. Executive
comprises
Royal Advisory Council and Council of Ministers.
Politics: No legal political parties; political
activities carried out by elite factions. Starting in late
1980s
unrest among Nepalese minority in south led to
government's
parallel efforts to accommodate ethnic communities and
restrict
separatist activities amid increasing discontent and
violence.
Administrative Divisions: Four administrative
zones
(dzongdey) provide central government services at
local
levels; eighteen districts (dzongkhag) divided into
either
subdistricts (dungkhag, 67) or village groups
(gewog,
191). Thimphu District not included in zonal
administration.
Municipal corporations at Thimphu and Phuntsholing; 4,500
other
villages and settlements.
Judiciary: Civil law system heavily influenced
by
Buddhist law based on seventeenth century code. Druk
Gyalpo final
level of appeal. High Court and district courts; minor
civil
disputes adjudicated by village heads.
Foreign Relations: Major aid recipient from
India, major
international organizations, and developed countries.
Traditionally
relied first on Britain and then on India to direct
foreign
affairs, increasingly asserted independence since joining
United
Nations in 1971. In 1991 maintained diplomatic relations
with only
sixteen nations. Member of Asian Development Bank, Colombo
Plan,
Coordination Bureau of Non-Aligned Countries,
International Civil
Aviation Organization, International Development
Association,
International Monetary Fund, International
Telecommunications
Union, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation,
United
Nations and its affiliated agencies, and Universal Postal
Union.
Media: Kuensel, government-owned weekly
newspaper.
Bhutan Broadcasting Service offers shortwave programming;
daily FM
broadcasts in Thimphu; no foreign television reception
Data as of September 1991
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