DHARAMSHALA: Tibetans living in 26 countries including India on Sunday voted for the final stage of parliamentary elections for the Dharamshala-based parliament in exile to elect the next sikyong (president), an official said.
45 members of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), also known as the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, will also be elected by the voters, said Wangdu Tsering, the chief electoral commissioner of the Tibetan electoral commission.
Around 1.3 Lakh Tibetans live in exile in India and around the world. The Tibetan government-in-exile will vote its head on May 14th.
In the final phase of the polls for the office of President of the CTA, only two candidates – Pempa Tsering and Aukatsang Kelsang Dorjee – are in combat, said Wangdu Tsering.
However, Pempa Tsering, the former chairman of the Tibetan Parliament, is the front runner.
During the first phase of the election, eight candidates competed for the Sikyong post. Pempa Tsering secured the maximum number of votes (24,488), followed by Dorjee (14,544).
Sikyong is the head of the kashag, or cabinet, part of the executive branch of the CTA, and the post was created by the Tibetan Parliament in 2011 to allow the Tibetan community in exile to run democratically.
Previously, the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, exercised the powers as temporal head of the Tibetan community in all matters.
Lobsang Sangay, who became the first Sikyong of the CTA, held the office for two terms and cannot run for a third term according to the constitution.
Pempa Tsering lost to Sangay in 2016.
“We are sending a clear message to Beijing that there is no democracy in China and that Tibetans do not enjoy freedom, but under the great guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we received this gift of democracy in exile and today is a proud day “Sangay told reporters.
According to Wangdu Tsering, 83,079 voters are participating in the election exercise.
“We have two types of elections – one for the CTA presidential election and the second for parliamentary elections. There are two candidates running for president, and the Tibetans also vote for 45 MPs. We will explain . ” the results on May 14, “he said.
