Bhutan · Government
Government and administration in Bhutan
How the executive, legislature and administrative state are organised, and which body is responsible for what.
The three branches
- Head of state — Druk Gyalpo (King)
- Constitutional monarch; must retire at 65 and may be removed by Parliament.
- Executive — Prime Minister and Cabinet (Lhengye Zhungtshog)
- Drawn from the National Assembly majority.
- Legislative — Parliament
- National Assembly (47 elected) and National Council (25, of which 20 elected).
- Judiciary — Supreme Court and High Court
- Judges appointed by the King on Judicial Commission advice.
- Religious — Zhung Dratshang (Central Monastic Body)
- Constitutionally recognised; separate from politics.
How legislation is made
Bills pass both houses; disagreement goes to a joint sitting. The King grants assent, and if he withholds it the bill returns to a joint sitting where a two-thirds majority carries it. Money bills originate in the National Assembly. Constitutional amendment requires a three-quarters majority of a joint sitting and, if the King so directs, a national referendum.
Enforcement institutions
- Royal Bhutan Police
- National force under the Ministry of Home Affairs.
- Office of the Attorney General
- Prosecution and legal advice to government.
- Anti-Corruption Commission
- Constitutional body investigating corruption.
- Department of Revenue and Customs
- Tax and customs administration.
- Registrar of Companies
- Company registration under the Companies Act 2016.
Government bodies and regulators
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