Bhutan People's Unity Party

Bhutan People's Unity Party
Leader Yeshey Zimba;[1]
Sigay Dorji (breakaway)[2]
Founded 2006;[3]
September 2007 (breakaway)[4]
Dissolved July 25, 2007;[5]
November 2007[6]
Merger of Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party[7]
Ideology Conservatism[3]

The Bhutan People's Unity Party, also called Druk People's Unity Party (PUP), is a former Bhutanese political party. It was founded by regional and national cadres (chimi and Royal Advisory Councilors) serving in Bhutan's pre-democratic government.[1] Led by former lyonpo (assemblyman) Yeshey Zimba, the largely dysfunctional PUP merged with the stronger All People's Party (APP), headed by former and future prime minister Jigme Y. Thinley; the two parties unified as the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party on July 25, 2007.[7] Both the PUP and APP had been registered with the Election Commission.[5][8][9]

The PUP was briefly revived as a breakaway faction from September to November 2007 under the leadership of Sigay Dorji.[2][4][10] In November 2007, the Election Commission rejected the PUP's registration, preventing its candidates from participating in Bhutan's first partisan election. Amid allegations that over 75% of the PUP's membership consisted of school dropouts, the Election Commission found the party lacked "credible leadership of the calibre that is needed to run and manage the affairs of the nation or even the management of the group itself,"[2][11] and that it lacked "the capacity to fulfill ... national aspirations, visions, and goals."[6] The elimination of the PUP reduced the anticipated two-stage electoral process into a single-election contest.[11] The PUP again merged with the Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party after the Election Commission prevented the it from registering under the new constitutional framework.[12][13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Penjore, Ugyen (2007-04-25). "BPUP Approaches Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba". Kuensel online. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wangdi, Kencho (2007-11-28). "BPUP is Out of the Game". Kuensel online. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Country report: Nepal, Mongolia, Bhutan. Economist Intelligence Unit (Great Britain). 2006. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Penjore, Ugyen (2007-09-15). "BPUP Back in the Fray?". Kuensel online. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Penjore, Ugyen (2007-07-35). "Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, the New Party in Town". Kuensel online. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-22. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Piano, Aili (2009). Arch Puddington, Katrina Neubauer, ed. Freedom in the World 2009: The Annual Survey of Political Rights & Civil Liberties. Information and Interdisciplinary Subjects. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 92. ISBN 1-4422-0122-3. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Penjore, Ugyen (2007-07-11). "Another Merger". Kuensel online. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  8. ↑ Penjore, Ugyen (2007-03-24). "The Race is On". Kuensel online. Archived from the original on 10 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
  9. ↑ "First General Elections in Bhutan". Pratiyogita Darpan 2 (24): 169. September 2008. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  10. ↑ S. Chandrasekharan (2008-03-19). "Bhutan: Election Eve – Update No. 69". South Asia Analysis Group (SAAG).
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Muni, S.D. (2008-04-12 – 2008-04-25). "All the King's Men". The Hindu online 25 (08). Retrieved 2011-09-24. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ↑ Gall, Timothy L.; Hobby, Jeneen (2009). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life (2 ed.). Gale. p. 137. ISBN 1-4144-4891-0. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  13. ↑ Kayshap, S. P. (June 2008). "Bhutan: Democracy from Above". Pratiyogita Darpan 2 (24): 56. Retrieved 2011-09-24.