According to Zee News, the country of Bhutan on Friday formally became a democratic constitutional monarchy as King Jigme Khesar Namgyel signed the country's new Constitution (full text). The new Constitution, which calls on the government "to promote those conditions that will enable the pursuit of Gross National Happiness" (Art. 9, Sec. 2), has been endorsed by the country's Parliament. The new document contains a number of provisions relating to religion and freedom of conscience.
Art. 7, Sec. 4 provides: "A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. No person shall be compelled to belong to another faith by means of coercion or inducement." Art. 15, Sec. 3 provides: "Candidates and political parties shall not resort to regionalism, ethnicity and religion to incite voters for electoral gain."
Article 3 of the new Constitution deals with "Spiritual Heritage". It provides that "Buddhism is the spiritual heritage of Bhutan," and that the king is the "protector of all religions in Bhutan." The king appoints the Je Khenpo, the head of the country's central monastic body. Art. 3, Sec. 3 also provides: "It shall be the responsibility of religious institutions and personalities to promote the spiritual heritage of the country while also assuring that religion remains separate from politics in Bhutan. Religious institutions and personalities shall remain above politics." Implementing this, the country's election law makes Buddhist monks ineligible to run for office or vote. (See prior posting.) More background is on the website of the Constitution Drafting Committee.
