Accomplishments As King
The young king began his reign overseeing the democratization of his country by presiding over the last sessions of the parliament where electoral laws, land reform and other important issues were deliberated. He stated that the responsibility of this generation for Bhutanese was to ensure the success of democracy. He also travelled extensively around the country to encourage participation in the upcoming democratic exercises, speaking mainly to the youth of Bhutan on the need for Bhutanese to strive for greater standards in education, business, civil service and the need for people of a small country to work harder than those of others.
He signed a new treaty of friendship with India in February 2007, replacing the treaty of 1949. Many government initiatives were undertaken by the new King with a view to strengthening the system in preparation for the democratic changes in 2008. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan was adopted on 18 July 2008, by the first elected parliament. On 1 November 2008, he was formally crowned in Punakha as the Fifth King of the Wangchuck Dynasty.
Since the formal coronation, King Jigme Khesar's first landmark project was the launching of the National Cadastral Resurvey in March 2009. The programme is aimed at resolving long-standing land issues of excess land that affects every Bhutanese household. The King has also been giving land to landless farmers around the country. The on-going project takes the King to remote villages and communities. He personally supervised the rebuilding efforts following major earthquakes and floods in 2009.
Read more about this topic: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
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