Wangchuck could be the last king of Bhutan with absolute power

The draft, containing 34 articles including expanded judiciary and popular voting rights, would be distributed among the country's 20 administrative districts for public discussion, according to Bhutan's web site kuenselonline.com.

It would be the nation's first constitution and replace a royal decree of 1953 giving the monarchy absolute power.

Neighboring Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom, established a constitutional monarchy in 1990. The Kingdom of Mustang ceded power to the Kingdom of Nepal in the 18th century while retaining a titular monarchy. The princely state of Sikkim, a former British protectorate, was annexed by India in 1975 when the monarch Palden Thondup Namgyal and his American-born queen, Hope Cook, were ousted.

Republican India to the south ended the institution of royalty decades ago but some noble families still have big followings among people over whom they once held sway.