Democracy in Bhutan: An Analysis of Constitutional Change in a Buddhist Monarchy

The report attempts to provide a comprehensive overview of the constitutional developments in the Kingdom of Bhutan. Starting from the premonarchy era and looking closely at the different phases of modernization as initiated by the respective kings, the aim shall be to draw a conclusive picture of the structural changes within the Bhutanese polity. While the historical analysis might appear to be excessive, it nevertheless is an important task to fully understand the uniqueness of the developments in Bhutan. Democratic transition does not happen overnight; it is usually a long process of successive developments. Analyzing such a process without taking into account its context, that is, the point from which it took off and the environment in which it took shape, is of little use, especially in the case of Bhutan where every initiative to modernize the country has emanated solely from the kings.