The next step in Bhutan’s general election will be decided by the stars. Both the registered political parties will launch their official campaigns on auspicious days identified through astrological calculations. Their letters of intent and manifestos will be submitted when the zakar is good.

The letters of intent have to be submitted to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) before January 31 along with the party manifestos, lists of registered members, proposed lists of candidates, lists of dzongkhag offices, and audited accounts.

The election process will then officially begin and the candidates will be allowed to start campaigning after their nominations are filed, between January 31 and February 7.

The People’s Democratic Party was all set to submit its letter of intent and was waiting for the right day, according to PDP’s general secretary, Lam Kezang. “We will now be submitting the documents on January 28, which happens to be a very lucky day for the party president and the vice president,” he said. “A person planning a journey first checks the zakar to figure out if that is an appropriate day to travel and submitting the letter of intent is even more important because we then declare ourselves ready to contest,” said Lam Kezang.

The general secretary of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, Thinley Jamtsho, said that January 30 and 31 were two favourable days for DPT to make the official start. “The party will submit the documents on one of these two days,” he said. “We Bhutanese cannot start anything important without the right tendryil.”

Both the parties agreed that submitting the ‘letters of intent’ was important and that it was important to wait for an auspicious day. Source: Kuenselonline