Parliament of Bhutan རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་ཚོགས་ཁང་ gyelyong tshokhang | |
|---|---|
| Fourth Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Houses | National Council National Assembly |
| Leadership | |
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck since December 14, 2006 | |
Chairperson of the National Council | Sangay Dorji, Nonpartisan since 10 May 2023 |
Speaker of the National Assembly | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 72 25 Councilmen 47 Assemblymen |
 | |
National Council political groups | Non-partisan (20) Appointed (5) |
 | |
National Assembly political groups | Government (30)
Opposition (17)
|
| Authority | Article X,Constitution of Bhutan |
| Elections | |
LastNational Council election | April 20, 2023 |
LastNational Assembly election | 30 November 2023 and 9 January 2024 |
| Meeting place | |
| Gyelyong Tshokhang,Thimphu | |
| Website | |
| National Council of Bhutan National Assembly of Bhutan | |
|
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TheParliament of Bhutan (Dzongkha:རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་ཚོགས་ཁང་gyelyong tshokhang) consists of theKing of Bhutan together with abicameralparliament.[1][nb 1] This bicameral parliament is made up of an upper house, theNational Council and a lower house, theNational Assembly.[nb 2] The current parliamentary framework replaced theunicameralTshogdu in 2007, with the first members taking seats in 2008.
TheNational Council of Bhutan is theupper house, or house of review in thebicameral legislature. It consists of 25 members: one directly elected from each of the 20dzongkhags (districts) and 5 appointed by the King underelection laws. The National Council meets at least twice a year. The membership elects a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson from its number. Members and candidates of the National Council are prohibited from holdingpolitical party affiliation.[nb 3][2][3]
TheNational Assembly of Bhutan is the lower house. It consists of a maximum of 47 members directly elected by the citizens of constituencies within eachdzongkhag (district) according toelection laws. Each constituency is represented by one National Assembly member; each of the 20 Dzongkhags must be represented by between 2–7 members. Constituencies are reapportioned every 10 years. The National Assembly meets at least twice a year, and elects a Speaker andDeputy Speaker from among its members. Members and candidates are allowed to holdpolitical party affiliation.[nb 4][3][4]
The Constitution sets forth the procedure of the formation of the executive branch and its ministries, including the post ofPrime Minister, according to Parliamentary electoral results. The King recognizes the leader or nominee of the party that wins the majority of seats in theNational Assembly as the Prime Minister.[nb 5] The Prime Minister is limited to two terms of office.[nb 6] Other Ministers are appointed from among National Assembly members by the King on advice of the Prime Minister.[nb 7] All Ministers must be natural-born citizens of Bhutan, and there is a limit of two Ministers from any one Dzongkhag.[nb 8]
TheKing of Bhutan fulfills further parliamentary duties by reviewing and assenting to bills in order to enactBhutanese legislation, and when necessary, by initiating national referendums underelection laws.[nb 9]
The National Council and National Assembly operate under a framework of enumerated substantive powers and duties under theConstitution.[1] In addition, the procedural framework of each body is codified independently in subsequently enactedlegislation: the National Council Act[2] and the National Assembly Act.[4] The Acts define operating procedure (such asquora and voting) and delegation of duties to committees much like bylaws; the Acts themselves also provide some incidentally related substantive law, such as offenses and penalties for officeholders.[2][4]
Foremost among the powers and duties of Parliament is the passing of bills. Either the upper houseNational Council, the lower houseNational Assembly, or theAttorney General may author bills to be passed as acts, with the exception of money and financial bills, which are the sole purview of the National Assembly.[nb 10][5]Legislation must be presented bicamerally, at times in joint sittings of theNational Council andNational Assembly, however bills may pass by default without vote when none is conducted before the close of the present session.[nb 11] When a bill has been introduced and passed by one house, it must present the bill to the other house within thirty days from the date of passing, and the bill may be passed during the next session of Parliament.[nb 12] In the case of budget bills and urgent matters, a bill must be passed in the same session of Parliament.[nb 13] Bills are ultimately subject to veto and modification by the King, however the King must assent to bills resubmitted after joint sitting and deliberation by the National Council and National Assembly.[nb 14]
Parliament has the sole authority to alter Bhutan's international territorial boundaries, and internal Dzongkhag and Gewog divisions, with the consent of at least 75% of the total number of members (currently 54).[nb 15] Parliament also overseeslocal government administrations:Dzongkhag Tshogdus,Gewog Tshogdes, andThromdes.[6]
The Constitution provides that the National Assembly may, with support of at least two-thirds of its members (currently 32),motion of no confidence in the Government. If the vote passes, the King shall dismiss the Government.[nb 16]
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27°29′24″N89°38′18″E / 27.489955°N 89.638309°E /27.489955; 89.638309
