Bhutan woman trekked for 14 days to vote

The Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan may lay claim to having the world's most enthusiastic voter - a 65-year-old woman who walked 600 kilometres (380 miles) to cast her ballot.

The woman responded to an appeal from the country's king to embrace democracy as Bhutan shifts from absolute royal rule to becoming a constitutional democracy in yesterday's election.

People were allowed to vote only in the place of their birth and thousands headed to remote villages to take part in the country's first parliamentary elections ending absolute rule by the Wangchuck dynasty.



Tshewang Dema said she preferred to walk because she suffered motion sickness after her first and only car journey four years ago. "I didn't want to lose my vote just because I couldn't travel in a car," Dema said.

The 14-day trek from the capital Thimphu to the eastern Trashiyangste district also turned out to be long overdue homecoming.

Unofficial results show that the party of the former Prime Minister, Jigme Thinley, won a landslide victory. (With news video).

Photo from here.