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Bhutanese Elect First Parliament
ANCHOR: And today in the Kingdom of Bhutan, voters are going to the polls for the first general elections ever in a country advertised as 'the last Shangrila,' and where a quarter of the population lives on less than a dollar a day . Here's more from Bhutan. STORY: Masked dancers whirl in the courtyard of a Bhutanese fortress during an annual religious festival. Isolated by the Himalayas, Bhutan is rich in traditional Buddhist culture, but poor, based on its economic development. Two years ago, Bhutan's fourth King left the throne voluntarily. In the process, he turned Bhutan into a democracy, and left the throne to his Oxford-educated son. Today, the tiny nation will elect its first parliament. But there aren't any major political rivalries. This is more of a test-run for democracy: the debates are controlled and both parties have connections to the royal family. Although security remains a major concern, Bhutanese citizens are warming up to the idea of voting. And many hope democracy will bring economic progress. [Sanjaya, Bhutanese Local]: "We are happy that elections are being held in Bhutan and we will be able to elect the people of our choice and they will be answerable to us. So I am happy." Meanwhile, 100,000 Bhutanese refugees still crowd camps in Nepal. And many are hoping the new parliament will find a way to bring them home. [Devaki, Bhutanese Refugee]: "No one knows the future, some people are going to America, some are going to other places but we do not want to go any where else, We want to return to our homeland in Bhutan. With democracy coming in Bhutan I hope our demand for return would be heard." But despite poverty, underdevelopment, and also recent rebel violence, Bhutan has something on the developed nations. It's apparently one of the world's happiest countries. That's based on something called the Gross National Happiness measurement or GNH. It's another one of the former king's legacies, based on the idea that traditions and the environment should not be sacrificed for economic growth. It's also an alternative to the gross national product, or GNP, that instead tries to measure citizens' overall well-being. According to an early survey, 68 percent of Bhutanese people can be classified as happy. But that may change after today.