Hat tip to Andy for this article. The King of Bhutan, a small country located near undemocratic Nepal and India, has drafted a constitution to allow for multi-party democracy.

The king of the Himalayan state of Bhutan announced the end of a century of absolute royal rule yesterday with the publication of a draft constitution to establish a multiparty democracy.

King Jigme Singye Wangchuck said that by the end of the year his 700,000 subjects would be given the right to elect two houses of parliament, whose members would be empowered to impeach the monarch by a two-thirds vote.

Bhutan, a tiny Buddhist kingdom between India and China, does not have a written constitution and its monarchy goes back to the days of the British Raj, when Jigme’s great-grandfather was anointed king by London.

The British-educated King Jigme, who succeeded at the age of 16 in 1972, said an absolute monarchy was an anachronism.

Kinley Dorji, editor of Bhutan’s national daily, Kuensel, said: “Some people say why change a system that works, while others said that we are not educated enough to make decisions on our own.

“The king’s answer has been that the country needs a system, not an individual, to run it.”

Bhutan has been making slow but steady progress towards democracy since 2001, unlike its neighbour Nepal, where King Gyanendra seized power this year and sacked the elected government.

Until the 1960s the “Land of the Thunder Dragon” was an isolated country, dependent on subsistence farming, with few schools, and no telephones, national currency, hospitals or postal service.

Many say the adoption of democracy signifies that the traditional hermit kingdoms of the Himalayas are quickly waking up to the pressures of the modern world.

The king has opened the country to tourists, and he allowed television in the late 1990s. It got its first internet cafe in 2001.

In late 2003 it made its first military offensive, attacking Indian militants who had been waging a separatist war from camps in the southern forests.

The BBC has a timeline of events in this country’s history. It notes that an up or down referendum will be held to approve the constitution.

Mark Colvin has a transcript from his radio program where he interviews Bhutan’s chief judge, who thinks people are ready for the change.

JAYNE-MAREE SEDGMAN: It’s a rare king who chooses to relinquish his power but, from all accounts, Jigme Singye Wangchuk is no ordinary king.

He freely admits monarchy is not the best system of government and has been advocating change for decades.

Under his proposal, the king would remain head of state but the day-to-day power would move to an elected prime minister.

Bhutan’s Chief Judge, Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye, is confident when the time comes people will vote in favour of change.

LYONPO SONAM TOBGYE: They are quite convinced, and they may not like to disappoint their king, so they will vote for the constitution. But I would like to correct it here, first he will consult with the people the maximum grass-root cross-section of the society, and later it will be adopted at the national assembly. I’m quite positive that it will be adopted, but I’m sure there will be some changes or amendment to what we have proposed.

JAYNE-MAREE SEDGMAN: In the past those wishing to visit Bhutan could do so only by royal invitation, but now tourism is a huge industry, second only to hydro-electricity.

However it’s not budget travellers who are flocking there, with the Government requiring visitors to spend a minimum of $250 a day. This is also a country where television and the internet have only been available for the past five years.

So if the new system is adopted how might it affect the fairytale kingdom? I put that question to Kinley Dorji, the editor of Bhutan’s only newspaper Keunsel.

KINLEY DORJI: That is the hundred dollar question which we are all asking, I guess.

It was very exciting, you know, on Saturday when we saw the draft constitution. I mean, you turn every page and it’s history, I mean, it’s so dramatic in many ways, it’s very exciting.

At the same time, we are apprehensive, I mean, I would say I am also apprehensive, because democratic governance takes a lot of understanding, I think, a lot of, ah, it takes education, it takes democratic and political experience, and it’s all new for the Bhutanese people.

We also look around at democracies around the world and we see a lot of problems and we wonder whether we’ll be able to avoid them.

JAYNE-MAREE SEDGMAN: Chief Justice Tobgye says in the lead up to the referendum, to be held within the next two years, the King will meet with as many of the country’s half-a-million residents as he can to discuss their concerns and make any necessary amendments. He says it’s only natural there’s been a degree of apprehension about such radical change.

LYONPO SONAM TOBGYE: Initially there were oppositions from the people because over the last hundred years, almost hundred years, the monarchy had provided stability, economic development, security, tranquillity to the nation.

However, with the persuasion over last three years, his Majesty has convinced the people that having a constitution is most imperative for the greater and the glorious Bhutan.

So there will be opposition and dissenting voice, that is a very essence of democracy which his Majesty wants.

He seems like a very wise king.