Transition to a Democratic Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy: The Case of the Buffer State of Bhutan

To be considered a buffer state, a country must be completely independent or autonomous and endowed with its own sovereignty. Sometimes, the Buffer State tends to sustain its sovereignty through the continued role of neutrality between rivals such as the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Bhutan is seen as a country that dares to be different, and while its pursuit of happiness is well known, the lesser-told story is the historic transition to democracy. At a time when nations are struggling to make progress towards the SDG targets on governance as part of their overall pursuit of human rights, the analysis of the peaceful transition from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy occurred in Bhutan gains special interest.