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Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck

November 5, 2011 by · Comments Off on Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck 

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Jigme Khesar is the fifth in a line of hereditary rulers who have reigned in Bhutan in the last 100 years.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 31, is one of the youngest monarch in the world.

But despite his relative youth, the Bhutanese king was not released in the deep end when it came to the throne in November 2008.

His father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck – who came to the throne when only 16 years – made great efforts to ensure that your child was ready to take over before his abdication in December 2006.

The young king had a tough act to follow. His father won international acclaim for his role in transforming Bhutan into a constitutional monarchy, while their emphasis on gross national happiness – the idea that spiritual and mental well-being are more important than material prosperity – made him the favorite development groups around the world.

As Crown Prince Jigme Khesar was educated in India and the U.S. before attending Oxford University to read politics and international relations.

After graduating, the future monarch was encouraged by his father to travel abroad and represent their country of 700,000 people.

King Jigme Khesar is the fifth in a line of hereditary rulers who have reigned in Bhutan in the last 100 years.

Challenges

Reyes in Bhutan have always been revered – unlike in neighboring Nepal, where he was unceremoniously deposed the king in 2008.

The new king of Bhutan did not have to try too hard to win his people.

That’s because most people in the kingdom were and remain staunch royalists. Some openly wept at the news of his father’s plans to curb the powers of the monarchy.

Emotions were equally high when King Jigme Khesar married a commoner in October 2011.

Jigmi Thinley Prime Minister described it then as “the ultimate anchor” of the country, while opposition leader Tshering Tobgay said the wedding, “said the continuity of the monarchy” and “strengthen” the country’s democracy.

Before her marriage good child of the king is not only created a stir among the many female fans, but also won rave reviews in his homeland, where his “diplomacy, charm and subtle diplomacy” was widely praised by the press.

He and his wife Jetsun Pema reportedly share a passion for art.

Jigme Khesar is the eldest son of Jigme Singye and his third wife, Ashi Tshering Yangdon.

He has a younger sister and brother and four sisters and three brothers, his father’s other three women – all of his father’s wives are sisters.

Absolutely loyal

The young king began his reign without being officially crowned, but he faced, but by a series of challenges that have encumbered the wisest of kings.

Prominent among them was overseeing the final stages of the democratization of their country before the elections of March 2008.

Like his father, the new king stressed that it was vital that his country would complete the process of becoming a constitutional monarchy, despite the reluctance of many of his subjects to see any diminution of the powers of the monarch.

He traveled extensively throughout the country encouraging people to participate in the vote – in which the two main parties vying for power in the manifestos like, totally loyal to their king.

“Although in terms of governance we are now in a democracy, there is no person elected to enjoy the kind of respect, trust, security and respect for our kings enjoy,” said the prime minister in 2008.

Perhaps the highest profile challenge the government in recent years has been the suffering of thousands of Nepalis, who used to live in Bhutan, but say they were forced to take refuge in camps in Nepal in early 1990.

His condition remains controversial even though many have with the help of international agencies immigrated to the U.S., Canada and Australia.

Since coming to the throne of the new king has been careful to ensure that your government has not bothered to more residents of Bhutan, India, which is known to be concerned about what he says is the presence of rebels in Assam, in southern kingdom.

Jigme Khesar signed a new treaty of friendship with India in February 2007, replacing a 1949 treaty. Delhi has a strong influence on foreign policy of Bhutan.

Above all, the new king has said that the Bhutanese monarchy does not suffer the same fate as the royal family of Nepal.

The vision of his father in the scale of return of the monarchy – and the popularity it has lavished on his son – to do something unlikely.

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