December 18, 2005
JUST ANOTHER ENLIGHTENED MONARCHY:
Bhutan king announces abdication (BBC, 12/18/05)
The king of Bhutan says he will step down when the country will hold its first national democratic elections in 2008, state media reported.Posted by Orrin Judd at December 18, 2005 8:55 AMKing Jigme Singye Wangchuck said he would be succeeded as leader of the tiny and remote Himalayan kingdom by his son, the crown prince. [...]
Speaking in a remote village three days' drive from the capital, Thimpu, the king told thousands of yak herders, monks, farmers, and students that he would begin handing over responsibility to the crown prince immediately.
"I would like our people to know that the first national election to elect a government under a system of parliamentary democracy will take place in 2008," the 50-year-old told the crowd gathered in Trashiyangtse.
"Everybody Wangchuck tonight!" Great! Now I will have this song stuck in my head all day.
(Note of no great import: I am passingly familiar with Bhutan because, on a visit to the campus of UTEP, I learned that their curious buildings were influenced by Bhutanese architecture. Strange that a campus in Southern Texas would have such an influence, but it came from the wife of an early univeristy benefactor, if I recall correctly. Handsome buildings they are. We could all use more Bhutanese archictecture!)
Posted by: Brian McKim at December 18, 2005 12:29 PM