The government is yet to decide which minister will resign, as there will be only nine ministries with the new transformation. During the press meet on 20 January 2023, the Prime Minister (PM) Dr Lotay Tshering said that the cabinet discussed the issue and that there are five cabinet members, including the PM himself who offered to step-down.
The PM said that he was the first who offered to step-down. Later, four other ministers came forward, saying they would step-down. The PM added that his proposal was opposed by other ministers saying that stepping down from the PM’s post should not be an option at all.
The PM said that he wanted to step-down for other duties such as visiting his constituency, meeting people and performing other duties as party president.
Similarly, the other four ministers said that they could not visit their constituencies as they had to shoulder the ministerial responsibilities.
Dr. Tandin Dorji, minister of foreign affairs and external trade, is one of the four ministers who wanted to step down and run the party, according to the PM.
Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Yeshey Penjor, Minister of Home Affairs, Ugyen Dorji, and the minister for Information and Communication, Karma Donnen Wangdi are the others.
The PM said he has not welcomed the proposals from other ministers and that even the minister for labor and human resource had shown interest to surrender the post as there is no specific ministry.
Meanwhile, the PM said that step-down has nothing to do with ministry or the relocation of ministries and reiterated his willingness to step-down. “My moral responsibility is to lead the party as much as it is my absolute honor to be the head of government,” he said.
The Prime Minister informed the journalists that the decision will not take long.
Nidup Lhamo from Thimphu
