Challenges Faced by Political Parties in Bhutan’s Election

Perspectives from the Political Party Representatives

Abstract

Political parties face various challenges, and Bhutan is no exception. While Bhutan’s democratization is often defined as a unique process, the practical issues facing the political parties are not different. This study examines the challenges faced by political parties in Bhutan’s election through in-depth semi-structured interviews of key informants of all political parties and a thematic analysis. It discusses Bhutan’s electoral experience, a limited financial base of the parties, difficulty of attracting competent candidates, and fluctuating party members. The content analysis of the interviews explored factors that motivated and influenced the political parties and workers to participate in the electoral process. Besides the issues of sustainability and representation of parties outside the parliament, the paper contends that Bhutan’s case is not different from matured democracies where political corruption such as bribery, illegal solicitation of votes, mudslinging, and defamation are confronted during the election.