Next Sunday, on the eve of the New Year, thousands of Bhutanese will press a button on the electronic voting machine (EVM) at 864 polling stations around the country to vote in the candidates they want for the National Council, ushering in the start of the kingdom’s historic parliamentary elections.
This week, dzongkhag election officers around the country began briefing their presiding officers, refreshed them on the rules, held coordination meetings and prepared the EVMs. In the next few days, 1,500 election officials, including security personnel, will move to their respective polling stations.
Colour pictures of the contesting candidates, smaller than a passport size photograph, have been pasted on the EVMs, which are being ‘sealed’ in the presence of the contesting candidates and election officials.
At the commission’s secretariat in Thimphu, chief election commissioner, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, is bubbling with confidence. “The election commission is ready, we can’t be more ready,� said the chief commissioner.
Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said that ECB is expecting a larger turnout than the 57 percent of the national mock elections conducted early last year.
The number of polling stations in a gewog varies from one to 13, depending on the size on the gewog. The furthest polling station will be at Lunana in Punakha, Merak-Sakten in Trashigang, and Sombeykha in Ha.
Most of the dzongkhag electoral officials also expressed confidence for a successful poll day.
“During the mock election we had some problems relaying the results from Merak Sakten because the solar power failed,� said the electoral officer in Trashigang, Sonam Wangda. “This time we’ve taken a generator, so hopefully we’ll not have similar problems.�
ECB is spending about Nu 124.40 million for the NC elections, which includes campaign funds, advertising materials, travel and daily allowances for election officials, among others things.
Although the Election Commission is optimistic of a larger turnout, observers feel that it may not increase. The urban population seems uninterested in casting their vote because of the time and expenses involved. Some people, who were eligible for the postal ballot, have not even bothered to fill it up.
The Bumthang electoral officer, Chimi Dorji, expressed some concern on voter turnout in the district because a large number of people had left for Bodh Gaya to attend the Moenlam Chhenmo.
Meanwhile, the postal ballot list has 17,329 people on it. Election officials said some were rejected because of mistakes in mailing addresses and incorrect details. For instance, the Samtse officer said that they had to reject more than 300 out of the 1,500 eligible postal ballot voters.
Election director, Dr Phuntsho Namgyel, said that the postal ballot list prepared for the NC elections will not change because they had considered who can avail the facility and who cannot. “We took into consideration people who’d be on duty on poll day like bank staff, power and postal employees,� he said. “But even for corporations, the postal ballot facility is not a wholesale package, which means that not everybody will get the facility.� Source: Kuenselonline
