Elections in Bhutan are conducted at national (Parliamentary) and local levels. Suffrage is universal for citizens 18 and over, and under applicable election laws. In national elections, also known as the general elections, political party participation is mainly restricted to the lower house of Parliament, and by extension, to the executive nominated by its majority. Bhutan has a national bicameral parliamentary legislature. The National Assembly of Bhutan is the lower house of Parliament and has 47 members. The maximum number of seats at any time is 55, with each member representing a single-seat constituency. Between 2008 and 2013, 45 seats were won by the ruling Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party (DPT) and 2 were taken by the opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP). The National Council of Bhutan, the upper house of Parliament, has 20 nonpartisan members popularly elected by each dzongkhag and 5 members appointed by the King of Bhutan. The National Council member was first elected on 31 December 2007. Bhutan also conducts elections for offices in local governments. Dzongkhags (districts), Gewogs (village blocks), and Thromdes (municipalities), all elect members of local administrative governments with varying degrees of authority. Prior to 2007, Bhutan had a unicameral national parliament known as the Tshogdu. Parliament became bicameral under the Constitution of Kingdom of Bhutan 2008 and with the kingdom's first National Assembly election the same year. Recent elections National Assembly National Council Local governments Election laws Bhutanese election laws are legislated by the Parliament of Bhutan. These laws cover candidacy, voter registration, campaigning, political parties, and procedural aspects of voting. As of 2011, election law has been codified by the Constitution of 2008, Election Act of 2008, Public Election Fund Act of 2008, National Referendum Act of 2008, National Council Act of 2008, and National Assembly Act of 2008. The Constitution provides a bare substantive and procedural framework, incorporating then-existing election laws insofar as they did not conflict. Notably, religious figures and institutions must remain above (out of) politics. The Election Act of 2008, the most comprehensive of Bhutan's election laws, was passed by Parliament on July 28, 2008, and came into force on August 12, 2008, repealing all previous laws on elections to Parliament and Local Governments. The Election Act of 2008 is the latest Bhutanese legislation codifying substantive and procedural laws on constituencies, political parties and their candidates, campaigns, elections, electoral oversight, and suffrage. It also defines a number