Who is Harvard return Tshering Tobgay set to become Bhutan's PM (again)

Tshering Tobgay's party won general elections with nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament.

The party of Bhutan's former prime minister Tshering Tobgay won general elections with nearly two-thirds of seats in parliament. Tobgay's People's Democratic Party (PDP) "wins the 2024 National Assembly general elections with 30 seats" while the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) took the remaining 17, local media reported.

Bhutan's former prime minister Tshering Tobgay.(AFP)

What were the main issues of the elections?

Bhutan's election commission is expected to release the final results tomorrow of the polls which were dominated by serious economic challenges that have called into question the country's longstanding policy of focussing on "Gross National Happiness" over growth. All parties are committed to a constitutionally enshrined philosophy which measures its success by the "happiness and well-being of the people".

Who is Tshering Tobgay?

Tshering Tobgay is expected to become Bhutan's PM for the second time. He was leader of the opposition in Bhutan's first parliament when it was established in 2008 after the start of the reign of the present king.

Tshering Tobgay, 58, a former civil servant and a conservation advocate holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a master's in public administration from Harvard. He served as prime minister from 2013 to 2018.

What are the challenges Tshering Tobgay faces?

Bhutan's youth unemployment rate stands at 29 percent, according to the World Bank. Economic growth has sputtered along at an average of 1.7 percent over the past five years which Tshering Tobgay said was because of "unprecedented economic challenges and mass exodus".

One in every eight people were "struggling to meet their basic needs for food" and other necessities, statistics showed while Tshering Tobgay's electoral rival, BTP leader Pema Chewang warned the country was losing the "cream of the nation".