Tibetans vote in first round of poll for Sikyong

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 3

The Tibetans today voted for the first round of elections for president of the Tibetan government-in-exile (Sikyong). There were 80,000 registered voters who voted in polling booths set up across the world.

In Dharamsala, the seat for Tibetan government-in-exile, the polling booths were set up in McLeodganj.

Registered Tibetan voters carrying their green books which are their identity cards came out for voting. Covid protocol such as social distancing was maintained at the polling stations.

Tibetan voters have to indicate their preference for contesting candidates in the ballot paper. The percentage of votes a candidate gets is decided on the preference indicated by voters for him in the ballot paper.

Eight candidates are in fray for the post of Sikyong. These are: Dongchung Ngodup, Dalai Lama’s representative in New Delhi; Penpa Tsering, former Speaker of Tibetan parliament in exile and former envoy in Washington DC; Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang (Kaydor), who has been special advisor to Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and the Dalai Lama’s representative to North America; Dolma Gyari, former minister in Tibetan government-in-exile who is the first woman candidate to contest for the post of president; Acharya Yeshi, Deputy Speaker; Lobsang Nyandak, former minister based in New York; Tashi Wangdu, former CEO Federation of Tibetan Cooperative Societies, Bangalore; and Tashi Topgyal, who is based in Shillong.

The results of the first round of elections would be declared on February 8. The election result would decide the top two candidates who would run for final phase of elections that is likely to be concluded in the month of May this year.

The new president of the Tibetan government-in-exile would be succeeding Lobsang Sangay the present incumbent who served two consecutive terms as President from 2011 to 2021. Sangay, a Harvard law graduate, was the first democratically elected president of Tibetan government in exile. The passing Tibet Policy and Support Act 2020 by the US Senate that was later signed into law by US President Donald Trump was considered as biggest achievement of Lobsang Sangay. The Act declared US support to the Dalai Lama to decide his successor and talks of imposing sanctions on Chine in case it interfered in succession of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama handed over his political authority to the elected leader of Tibetan government in exile in the year 2011.