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Brief Profiles of Countries, EMBs and Partner Organisations of A-WEB

Although remote, Yangchen Gatshel is one of the
153 schools in Bhutan that has a democracy club.
Chimi is a member.

Bhutan’s election commission first started setting
up democracy clubs in schools in 2013, with the aim
of helping young Bhutanese understand the inner
workings of a democracy. More than 50 percent of
Bhutan’s population - 370,000 people - is under the
age of 25, making this a crucial demographic if the
country’s democratic experiment is to succeed.

Yangchen Gatshel school is in a remote corner of Thim-
phu. Many of the children here are the first in their fami-
lies to attend school [Neha Tara Mehta/Al Jazeera]

A parliament for children
(C) ELECTION CALENDAR This week, Bhutan’s first children’s parliament is
meeting for the first time. Comprising 63 members
1. Last Elections Dates of democracy clubs who were elected in national
18 October 2018 polls last September, the parliament will debate
national issues much like a real parliament.
2. Future Election Calendar
2023 The children received training in a number of areas
- including how to run clean elections and public
3. Are there any fixed election days/dates speaking skills - during the last week of December.
No
The idea, says Bhutan’s election commissioner,
PArt iv Deki Pema, is to have a children’s parliament which

othEr iNforMAtioN is as close to a mirror image of the national parlia-
ment as possible.

Yangchen Gatshel Lower Secondary school, where Even the constituencies that the children are elect-
Chimi studies, is a bone-rattling 40-minute ride ed to represent are the same as the parliamenta-
from Thimphu along a circuitous road, which ry constituencies, she explains. “We want them to
seems to disappear in parts. The sprawling cam- become familiar with the boundaries and also how
pus sits on a mountain’s edge, and offers sweep- the constituencies play out, and what are the im-
ing views of the valley below. There are few build- plications, delimitations. These become clearer as
ings in its vicinity - and the area is better known for you live through them.”
a nearby jail.

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