Karma Lhamo Explained

Office1:Member of the National Assembly
Termstart1:2021
Predecessor1:Sherub Gyeltshen
Constituency1:Monggar
Term2:2008–2013
Successor2:Jigme Zangpo
Constituency2:Monggar
Birth Date:6 May 1978
Birth Place:Tshakaling, Bhutan
Party:DNT (since 2021)
DPT (until 2021)

Karma Lhamo (born 6 May 1978) is a Bhutanese educator and politician. She was elected to the National Assembly in 2008, becoming one of its first female members elected under universal suffrage.[1]

Biography

Lhamo was born in Tshakaling in May 1978,[2] [3] the daughter of a Lam Neten. She was educated at Monggar School, and earned a BA in psychology at Mount Carmel College in Bangalore and a post-graduate certificate in education from the National Institute of Education.[2] In 2006 she began work as a teacher at Chukha Higher Secondary School.[2] She married and had two children.[2]

In 2008 she resigned from her teaching job after being nominated as a Druk Phuensum Tshogpa candidate for the Monggar constituency in the National Assembly elections. She was elected to the National Assembly with 76% of the vote, defeating former Minister of Health Jigmi Singay.[4]

She ran for re-election in 2013, but was defeated by Jigme Zangpo, losing by 272 votes.[5] She ran again in 2018 but lost to Sherab Gyeltshen.[6] However, following the resignation of Gyeltshen, Lhamo contested the by-election on 29 June 2021 as a candidate for the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa and was elected.[7]

Notes and References

  1. http://aceproject.org/ero-en/regions/asia/BT/bhutan-final-report-national-assembly-elections Final report: National Assembly Elections, 24 March 2008
  2. https://sites.google.com/site/bhutankcdproductions/women-in-the-spotlight/aum-karma-lhamo Aum Karma Lhamo
  3. http://monggar.ecb.bt/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Profile-of-NA-Candidates.pdf Biodata of Candidates Contesting General Elections, 2018. Monggar
  4. http://drukjournal.bt/how-the-bhutanese-vote-in-elections-a-broad-mindscape-of-the-bhutanese-voter/ How the Bhutanese Vote in Elections: a Broad Mindscape of the Bhutanese Vote
  5. https://web.archive.org/web/20130716145635/http://www.election-bhutan.org.bt/NAGResult2013/allvotes.php Result
  6. https://kuenselonline.com/dpt-loses-a-constituency-in-mongar/ DPT loses a constituency in Mongar
  7. https://kuenselonline.com/mongar-karma-lhamo-wins-with-dnt/ Mongar : Karma Lhamo wins with DNT