Bhutan’s king, famous for making his tiny nation’s priority “Gross National Happiness” rather than Gross National Product, abdicated Saturday after 34 years.
Jigme Singye Wangchuk, 51, handed over power in the Himalayan kingdom to his 26-year-old son, Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the Press Trust of India reports.
The kingdom is set to adopt the system of parliamentary democracy in 2008.
Bhutan is one of the most isolated nations in the world. Foreign influences and tourism are regulated by the government to preserve its traditional Tibetan Buddhist culture.
The crown prince completed his basic education in Bhutan, then graduated from Wheaton College in Massachusetts and earned a master’s degree in politics from England’s Oxford University.
He represented Bhutan at the U.N. General Assembly in 2002.
The current king coined the concept of Gross National Happiness in 1972. He said a true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other.
