Bhutan will hold its first ever general election on March 24, the Bhutanese election commission has announced.

 

The tiny Himalayan kingdom will vote to elect 47 members to the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, as it switches to democracy after a century of monarchical rule.

The predominantly Buddhist country has been preparing for democracy since Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the former monarch, decided to hand power to an elected government.

 

In December, Bhutanese went to the polls to elect members to the upper house of parliament, know as the National Council.

 

Both parties are likely to promise better roads, schools and hospitals and more reliable electricity.

 

Parties must submit their letter of intent, list of candidates, copies of their manifestos and audited financial reports to the election commission by January 22.

 

Many candidates are expected to be professionals as only college graduates are eligible to run.

 

 

Citizens have had mixed views on the country’s move towards democracy.

 

Younger voters said they were looking forward to new jobs and opportunities as the country develops.

 

But others said they were voting only out of a sense of duty to the monarchy.

 

The monarchy, now headed by Wangchuck's Oxford graduate son, remains popular, partly because of its policies focused on boosting what it calls "gross national happiness".

 

As recently as the 1960s, Bhutan had no roads and practically no schools or hospitals.

 

Today education and healthcare are free, and life expectancy has risen from 50 years to 66 years.