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Article: In Bhutan, a 'mock' poll for democracy's uninitiated.(WORLD)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- April 26, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Mian Ridge Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
ThimpHu, Bhutan -- Tshering Pem looked a little bewildered as she stood in line at a polling booth in Thimphu, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. She had never voted in an election before and was not sure that she wanted to. "I want the king to rule," said the housewife, as she fiddled shyly with her vote card. On this occasion, however, Mrs. Pem's vote did not count. Neither did the votes of thousands of other Bhutanese who, on Saturday, waited in neat lines across the country. Their ballots - the country's first national poll - went toward mock polls organized in preparation for the kingdom's ...