NEPAL:Centuries of "divine" rule are drawing to a close in the two surviving South Asian monarchies of Nepal and Bhutan.
The process began in Bhutan on Monday with about 310,000 registered voters exercising their franchise to elect 20 members to the upper house of parliament.
Oxford-educated King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (27), who took the throne last year, will nominate five additional members to the council under his father's plan to surrender much of the monarchy's power in the coming months.
The former king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, ruled the secluded Buddhist kingdom for more than three decades but abdicated in favour of his son. In 2001, he started Bhutan's transformation from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy.
The more significant polls to elect the parliament's lower house will take place later this year and newly formed political parties are expected to participate. However despite two rounds of mock elections in 2007 to ensure people understood the democratic process, an opinion poll conducted by Bhutan's sole national newspaper, Kuensel, said 49 per cent were not interested in voting.
Bhutan is an idyllic country with a high gross national happiness index instead of the usual gross domestic product that gauges the economic wellbeing of most countries. It is resistant to outside influences, rarely letting in foreigners until recent years, fearing they would "pollute" its ancient culture.
Last year, it became the world's first country to ban smoking in public.
Neighbouring Nepal's parliament voted recently to scrap its 239-year-old monarchy, though the decision rendering the Himalayan kingdom a republic will take effect only later this year.
The current ruling dynasty in Nepal dates back to 1769. It was shattered in 2001 when crown prince Dipendra, in a drunken fury, shot dead his parents, King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya, and seven other members of the royal family before killing himself.
This elevated Gyanendra, the former king's brother, to the throne. His own fall from grace began in February 2005 when he dismissed parliament and took executive powers for himself claiming this was the only way to root out corruption.
However the king's action united opposition against him and a violent nationwide uprising in April 2006 forced him to restore parliament. The new civil authorities have stripped him of his powers, command over the army and immunity from prosecution. In the coming months, they will deprive him of his kingship.