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THE Himalayan outpost of Bhutan stages its first parliamentary polls this week as the kingdom steers away from royal rule, but officials worry many voters will stay away.The December 31 elections represent a dramatic shift of power in Bhutan orchestrated by former king Jigme Singye Wangchuck to end absolute royal authority for a more ceremonial role.The monarch abdicated in December 2006 in favour of Oxford-educated son King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck as part of plans to introduce a constitution and hold direct elections – a direct break with 100-year-old royal rule.But many Bhutanese view the looming changes with trepidation, as seen in practice polls in April and May which saw about 40 percent turnout.Kuensel, the nation's official newspaper, reported that many potential voters in the capital Thimphu have been reluctant to head back to villages as demanded and had not received or applied for postal ballots.Some federal government workers from outside Thimphu "and many other organisations in the capital did not receive postal ballots," Kuensel reported.According to an online poll of 1310 people carried out by the weekly, only 40 percent expect to vote for the upper house National Council of parliament.There are nearly 313,000 registered voters in the isolated kingdom of 600,000 sandwiched between India and China.To quell voter fears of corruption in particular by the new political class, Election Commission guidelines for prospective candidates include a high-school diploma, income and criminal background checks and bans on offering or accepting money.The upper house has 20 seats up for direct election with another five to be selected by the new king. The body is intended as a check to the National Assembly or lower house, which will be directly elected for the first time likely in February or March 2008.Only 15 of the seats will hold polls on December 31, five will be held on January 29 and the remaining seat filled sometime after lower house polls are held, the election commission said in an email.Electronic voting will be used for all seats and results are expected shortly after polls close at 4pm.Candidates for the upper house cannot have political party affiliation.The 47-seat lower house will see at least two main parties-the Virtuous Bhutan Party, an alliance headed by former home minister Jigme Yehse Thinley, and the People's Democratic Party, led by former prime minister Sangay Ngedup. Bhutan, about the size of Switzerland, is widely known for a motto coined by the former king as aiming for "gross national happiness" over gross domestic product.However the one-time Shangri-la also faces serious problems including the wrath of Indian militant groups based on its 275k southern border with Assam state.Last week, Bhutan sealed the border with Assam over fears that the militants might take revenge for a 2003 military crackdown with the help of India that evicted three separatist groups – two from Assam and one from West Bengal."We are worried that militants from Assam might try and create problems during the elections," said Sangey Thinley, district magistrate of Sarpang district of Bhutan.Bhutan also evicted ethnic Nepalese Hindus as part of a campaign by the former king in the 1990s to forge "national identity", which consists of traditional dress and wider use of the Bhutanese language.The refugees, now living in UN camps in Nepal, have demanded the right-of-return but have been rebuffed by Bhutan.Earlier this year, the United States said it may accept at least 60,000 of the refugees and Canada offered to allow 5000 people in, but many who lost property have refused to go and oppose the elections."We do not recognise the elections in Bhutan as the polls are still being held under a dictatorial rule of the king," Anil Gurung, a Nepali refugee leader of Bhutanese origin, said from Siliguri in India's West Bengal state.As in the days of Noah....
