Lotay Tshering

Lotay Tshering (Dzongkha: བློ་གྲོས་ཚེ་རིང་; born 10 May 1969) is a Bhutanese politician. He was the Prime Minister of Bhutan from 7 November 2018 until 1 November 2023.

His Excellency The Honourable Lotay Tshering
བློ་གྲོས་ཚེ་རིང་
Tshering in 2023
Prime Minister of Bhutan
In office 7 November 2018 – 1 November 2023
Monarch	Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck
Preceded by	Tshering Tobgay
Succeeded by	Chogyal Dago Rigdzin (as Chief Advisor)
President of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 May 2018
Deputy	Sherab Gyaltshen
Preceded by	Tandi Dorji
Member of the National Assembly of Bhutan
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 October 2018
Preceded by	Yeshi Zimba
Constituency	South Thimphu
Majority	3,662
Personal details
Born	(1969-05-10) 10 May 1969
Political party	Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa
Spouse(s)	Ugyen Dema
Children	3 (two adopted)
Alma mater	Mymensingh Medical College Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University University of Canberra
Signature

Early life and education

He received his early education from Punakha High School and graduated from Sherubtse College. He graduated from Mymensingh Medical College under the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh and received a degree of MBBS in 2001. He completed his post-graduation in surgery from the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. In 2007, he studied Urology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, the USA, under his World Health Organization fellowship. Upon his return to Bhutan, he was the only practicing trained urologist in his country. In 2010, he obtained a fellowship in Endourology at Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, and Okayama University, Japan. He received a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Canberra, Australia in 2014.

Personal life

Tshering, a Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa, is married to a doctor, Ugyen Dema. The couple has one daughter. During his tenure in Mongar Regional Referral Hospital, he adopted one girl and one boy.

Professional career

Tshering served as a consultant surgeon in JDWNRH and Mongar Regional Referral Hospital, and was also served as a consultant urologist in JDWNRH for 11 years.

After the payment of about Nu. 6.2 million to the Royal Civil Service Commission, he resigned from the JDWNRH as a urologist to join politics in 2013.

Political career

On 14 May 2018, Tshering received 1,155 votes and was elected as the president of the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) just five months before the Third National Assembly Election.

He was elected to the National Assembly of Bhutan as a candidate of DNT from South Thimphu constituency in 2018 Bhutanese National Assembly election. He received 3,662 votes, defeating Kinley Tshering, a candidate of DPT. His party won largest number of seats in the 2018 National Assembly Election, bringing Tshering to premiership and Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa into government for the first time.

Prime Minister

Narendra Modi with the Lotay Tshering, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on December 28, 2018 On 7 November 2018, he replaced Tshering Tobgay and was sworn in as 3rd democratically elected Prime Minister of Bhutan.

On 27 December 2018, he arrived in India (three-day visit) on his first foreign trip after assuming the office.

Cabinet

Main article: Council of Ministers (Bhutan) § Current cabinet

Tshering announced his 10 cabinet ministers on 3 November 2018.

Awards

• 1991: He was awarded the Father William Mackey Gold Medal for academic excellence in Sherubtse.
• 2005: He was awarded the Unsung Hero of Compassion Award by 14th Dalai Lama.
• 2017: He was awarded the Order of the Beloved of the Thunder Dragon Medal (Druk Thuksey) by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck for his "selfless and dedicated service to the Tsawa-Sum (our King, our country and our people)."
• 2018: Royal Orange Scarf by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.