ISAS Insights

On 15 September 2018, the party of the incumbent Prime Minister, Tshering Tobgay, thePeople’s Democratic Party, lost in the primary round of the elections in Bhutan. The finalround of elections between the top two polling parties, the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa and theDruk Phuensum Tshogpa, will be held on 18 October 2018 to determine the next governmentin the country. While Tobgay’s defeat came as a surprise to many outsiders, the Bhutanesewere not shocked by it, as anti-incumbency is generally a feature of the country’s elections.This paper examines Tobgay’s defeat and contends that this will not affect Bhutan’s relationswith India, which regards him as a friend.