This is something I am confused about. The CEC has been saying campaigning can take place only during the official campaign period. Over here he repeats that by saying there can be no campaigning during familiarization tours. My confusion is right here, isn’t a familiarization tour basically campaigning? What else can the two parties do with hundreds of people sitting in the audience, just drink chhang and ara, or have suja desi, and talk about weather? I think CEC is making big mistake by not saying collection of people for talks by party leader is campaigning and not familiarization.

BBS - 2007, September 16: Campaigning is not allowed during familiarization visits the Chief Election Commissioner reiterated during an interview with the BBS yesterday.

The Chief Election Commissioner Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said since Bhutan is embarking on the democratic process for the first time, everybody including politicians and party members are learning and sometimes mistakes are made.

Some, he said, are interpreting things to suit their own convenience.

He said the election commission does not have the time and resource to monitor each and every candidate and that they cannot draw conclusions from media reports alone.

But he said if the election commission gets reports backed by evidence, they will take action.