Bhutanese vote sees rejection of king's in-laws

By Simon Denyer

THIMPU (Reuters) - The people of the reclusive Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan have delivered a stunning verdict in their first ever parliamentary polls, embracing democracy but overwhelmingly rejecting the king's relatives by marriage.

In the process, the mainly Buddhist Bhutanese may have found their voice after a century of royal rule in the isolated and conservative Land of the Thunder Dragon.

Landslide winner was Jigmi Thinley, a man very closely associated with the country's revered and loved kings, but who also promoted himself as a champion of ordinary people.

The present king's uncle, Sangay Ngedup, was trounced in the polls, winning just three of 47 seats. It was a verdict that seems to have amazed everyone.

"It is people speaking their minds now," said Gopilal Acharya, editor of the private Bhutan Times newspaper.

By turning out in huge numbers to vote on Monday, impeccably attired in national dress, Bhutanese people showed an enthusiasm for democracy that surprised themselves.

Yet this was not a vote against the kings of Bhutan or a century of royal rule. Most people had been upset when the fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, told them he was imposing democracy before abdicating in favor of his son two years ago.

Instead, Bhutan's people voted for stability, and chose a party with plenty of experience of serving under the fourth king, and which promised to preserve the achievements of his rule.

What they firmly rejected was the notion that the king's many relatives by marriage should fill the void left by his departure from politics.

"The king himself and the Wangchuck dynasty people will always love, but it was a resounding 'no' to the in-laws and what they are doing," said a businessman who watches politics closely but declined to be named for fear of trouble.

"They are very unpopular."

ROYAL FAMILY LOSES TO TEACHER

Ngedup, defeated leader of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), is the brother of the fourth king's four wives, and uncle of the present king, 28-year-old Oxford-educated Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Analysts say Ngedup had a decent record in government and, as agriculture, health and education minister, had visited many remote villages in this mountain kingdom of just 600,000 people.

But his family connections were more hindrance than help. Ngedup lost even in his own Punakha constituency -- to a schoolteacher who pitched himself as a "grassroots" citizen.