Bhutan’s King cedes throne to son

GAUHATI, (India)—Bhutan’s king abdicated Saturday and announced plans to hand power to his Western-educated son, who is expected to usher in a parliamentary democracy for the isolated Himalayan kingdom in coming years. King Jigme Singye Wangchuck said a year ago he would abdicate in favor of 26-year-old Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck in 2008 as part of a process of adopting a new constitution which would transform the country from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy.
The king, who assumed the throne in 1972 when he was 17, astounded his subjects with his announcement that the prince would assume the throne a year earlier than scheduled, propelling the prince to lead the Buddhist nation in its political transition. The prince, who attended boarding school and college in Massachusetts then received a degree from Oxford University, has been traveling the country over the past year, seeking popular views on the political changes that his father has set in motion.
The king’s decree handing power to his eldest son was first discussed Thursday at a special meeting of the Bhutanese Cabinet, members of the royal advisory council and other officials in Thimphu, the country’s capital, the managing director of the state-controlled Bhutan Broadcasting Service, Mingbo Dukpa, told The Associated Press.—Agencies