Economic woes, instead of ‘happiness’, set the stage as Bhutan goes to the polls

Bhutan holds general elections with economic challenges calling into question its "Gross National Happiness" policy. Voters trek for days to cast ballots, with youth unemployment & migration abroad foremost in minds.

The picturesque Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan holds general elections on Tuesday with serious economic challenges calling into question its longstanding policy of prioritising “Gross National Happiness” over growth.

Both parties contesting the vote are committed to a constitutionally enshrined philosophy of a government that measures its success by the “happiness and well-being of the people”.

Some voters are expected to trek for days to cast their ballots in the landlocked and sparsely populated country, similar in size to Switzerland.

Foremost in the minds of many are the struggles facing the kingdom’s younger generation, with chronic youth unemployment and a brain drain of migration abroad.

“We don’t need more new roads or bridges,” farmer Kinley Wangchuk, 46, said. “What we really need is more jobs for young people.”

Bhutan’s youth unemployment rate stands at 29%, according to the World Bank, while economic growth has sputtered along at an average of 1.7% over the past five years.

Young citizens have left in record numbers searching for better financial and educational opportunities abroad since the last elections, with Australia the top destination.