At stake in this election:

• 25 seats in the National Council (Gyelyong Tshogde)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King Jigme Khesar Namgyel WANGCHUCK
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Jigme THINLEY
• Assembly: Bhutan has a bicameral Parliament (Chi Tshog) consisting of the National Council (Gyelyong Tshogde) with 25 seats and the National Assembly (Tshogdu) with 47 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is hereditary head of state.
• Prime Minister is nominated by the monarch.
• In the National Council (Gyelyong Tshogde), 20 members are elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms and 5 members are appointed by the monarch to serve 5-year terms*. In the National Assembly (Tshogdu) 47 members are elected by majority vote in single-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.**

* Members of the upper house National Council cannot belong to any political party.

** Members of the lower house National Assembly represent political parties.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Independent(s): Independents*
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this National Council election: 25
  • Seats won in last National Council election: 25

* Candidates running for National Council must not be affiliated with political parties. All candidates in this election run as independents competing in Bhutan's 20 districts (Dzongkhags). 6 of these members are women. A full list of the candidates competing in this election can be found on the Election Commission of Bhutan's website: http://www.election-bhutan.org.bt/?p=201

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 716,896 (July 2012 )
• Registered Voters: 379,819 (March 2013 )

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 349,158 (2013)

·         Is Bhutan a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Bhutan ratified CEDAW: Yes (31 August 1981)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 3 (National Assembly); 2 (National Council) (following 2013 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 132 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Bhutan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (21 September 2010)

·         Has Bhutan ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 107,534 (est.)