EU Observation Mission to Monitor Bhutan Polls London

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By Steve Allen

A 15-member European Union Election Observation Mission will visit Bhutan to monitor the first general elections to the National Assembly in this Himalayan Kingdom scheduled for March 24.

The European Union attaches great importance to the process of democratic transition in Bhutan, including the elections and the adoption of the constitution, a statement issued in Brussels said.

The mission costing around 1 million euros is led by Spanish member of European Parliament Jos Javier Poms Ruiz, who is scheduled to leave for Bhutan on Friday.

He will stay in the Himalayan Kingdom for seven weeks.

"The elections for the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Bhutan are a milestone in the country's history: they will allow the Bhutanese people to exercise their democratic right to vote and to determine their own future," said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations.

The first general elections to choose 47 candidates for Bhutan's National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, will be held on March 24.

Bhutan's transition to democracy began in 2001 when former king Jigme Singye Wangchuk handed over the powers of daily governance to a Council of Ministers.

In the run-up to the National Assembly polls, two rounds of dummy elections were held last April and May in which the Bhutanese voted for traditional values.