Bhutan

A democracy introduced by its own king, with a retirement age for the monarch Bhutan's move to parliamentary democracy came from the throne rather than from protest, and the 2008 constitution builds in safeguards found almost nowhere else. The king must step down at 65 in favor of the heir, provided the heir has reached 21. National Assembly elections run in two stages: every registered party may contest a primary round, and only the two parties with the most votes go through to the general round, so a two-party parliament is designed in rather than left to chance. The first National Assembly election was held on March 24, 2008.