Under
1981 rules, qualified citizens over twenty-five
years of age can be nominated at general public
meetings by village heads and adult representatives
of each household (gung) and "joint family."
Once nominations are certified by village
heads and local government officials, they
are forwarded to the speaker of the National
Assembly for "final declaration of the
nominee as a member of the National Assembly."
Monastic representatives
The other fifty members are made up of monastic
representatives nominated by the Central Monastic
Body in Thimphu (or Punakha in the winter)
and eight district monastic bodies, members
of the Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsong),
members of the Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi
Tsokde), secretaries of various government
departments, district heads, others nominated
by the government, and a representative nominated
by the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The National Assembly meets at least once
and sometimes twice a year--in May and June
and again in October and November; each session
lasts about four weeks. Emergency sessions
can also be called by the Druk Gyalpo.
Nomination
of speaker
The
National Assembly elects a speaker from among
its members and is authorized to enact laws,
advise the government on constitutional and
political matters, and hold debates on important
issues. Executive-branch organizations are
responsible to the National Assembly.
The
Royal Advisory Council
It was mentioned in the 1953 constitution
of the National Assembly (members of the council
are concurrently members of the National Assembly),
but it took on greater importance in 1965
when the Druk Gyalpo installed representatives
elected by the monastic bodies and the National
Assembly. In 1989 the council's membership
included a representative of the government,
two representatives of the monasteries, six
regional representatives, and a chairperson,
all for five-year terms. The chairperson and
the government representative are appointed
by the Druk Gyalpo; the two monks represent
the central and district monastic bodies.
