Fourth King Jigme Singye Wangchuck after ruling the country for over 32 years abdicated his throne in 2006 in favor of his heir. In an unprecedented fashion, the fourth King paved way for the introduction of democracy, handing the power that was vested in his great grand father 100 years ago back to the people. Democracy is therefore considered a sacred gift from the throne.
In 2008, for the first time in the history of the country, people went to the polls to elect a government. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (party) won a landslide victory to form the government. With just two seats, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) went to become one of the smallest opposition parties in the world.
In 2013, Bhutan conducted its second elections. The primary round of elections saw two more new political parties – DruK Nyamrup Tshogpa and Druk Chirwang Tshogpa. However both parties lost in the primary round. The two old parties contest the general election. This time, PDP won the mandate to govern.