Vote-counting was still being completed but Bhutan's chief electoral commissioner declared the election of a first National Council in the remote Himalayan kingdom country a success.
"We are happy with the turnout of voters," Kunzang Wangdi said Monday. "It went off peacefully without any hitch."
Thousands of Bhutanese went to the polls Monday to elect the National Council, which is the final stage before general elections that will end nearly 100 years of absolute monarchy.
The vote caps a whirlwind year of transformation for the tiny kingdom since the monarch declared in December 2006 he was abdicating in favor of his 26-year-old son and ushering in democracy.
In this small trading town near the border with India, dozens of people dressed in their green, blue and red checked traditional robes, lined up at a local school to cast their votes.
The National Council will act as an upper house after parliament is elected in February.
"I did not have much idea about democracy, but we have had educational programs on radio and television so now I know," said Sagay Zangmo, a 32-year-old woman who runs a small business in the town. "Here I am, the first vote in my life," she said.
More than 300,000 people were due to cast votes for 15 of the council's 20 elected representatives. Five more will be elected at the end of January _ a delay caused by a lack of candidates _ and five others will be appointed by the king.
International observers from India, the United States, Australia and the United Nations were monitoring the polls to ensure a smooth process, said Wangdi.
The path toward parliamentary elections started when former King Jigme Singhye Wangchuck announced he was handing over power to his Oxford-educated son, King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck.
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