Thimphu, March 31:

The first visible signs of protest and anguish over Bhutan’s transition from monarchy to democracy have been made public with the embattled People’s Democratic Party (PDP) hinting that last week’s historic parliamentary elections were not fair.

The PDP that won just three of the 47 seats in the National Assembly during the March 24 elections has sought a probe by the country’s Election Commission to find the reasons for the one-sided verdict.

“If no unfair means were deployed, then we’ll be happy to respect the will of the people of Bhutan with grace, dignity and humility. We will leave it to the Election Commission of Bhutan to determine that,” PDP president Sangay Ngedup said.

The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) won a landslide victory winning 44 seats in the polls. As a mark of protest, two of the PDP lawmakers who won the polls resigned even before taking oath in parliament, saying the “polls might not have been free and fair”. The PDP said things took a dramatic turn two days before the polls and hordes of people in buses and trucks arrived in various constituencies from Thimphu. It termed the development “strange”. “All the candidates were shocked with disbelief at the results,” the PDP president said.