Chief Election Commissioner of Central Tibetan Administration, Wangdu Tsering, during an interview with Tibet Sun at his office in Dharamshala, India, on 6 December 2019. Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal
By Lobsang Wangyal
McLEOD GANJ, India, 12 December 2019
With one year to go for the next Tibetan general elections, interest is warming up as promotional materials are already being seen on social media.
The current 15th Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration led by Lobsang Sangay will complete its term in the end of April 2021.
Sangay won the 2016 elections over his rival Penpa Tsering by a margin of 9,012 votes, or 15% of the total 59,353 votes cast by Tibetans at 85 locations around the world.
Wangdu Tsering, the Chief Election Commissioner of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), told Tibet Sun that the dates for the next elections are not yet fixed. According to election rules, the first round will have to be held by November 2020.
“There’s a certain procedure. Two additional commissioners will be appointed, after which the election process will be decided,” Tsering said.
He explained that a few amendments have been made to the election process in electing both the CTA President and the members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. The most important change is that no campaigning for any candidate will be allowed by any associations or NGOs.
Another major change is the shortened campaigning time from six to three months between the preliminary and the final rounds of voting.
In the case of the post of president, there’s a big change in the rule, that if a candidate secures more than 60% of the votes in the preliminary round, that person will be declared elected, without having to hold a final round of election.
Should a final round be required, the Election Commission could propose from six to two candidates as the final candidates.
As a democratic system, Tibetans in exile who are 18 years and older can exercise the suffrage. They elect the CTA President, as well as the 45 members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile. Tibetans in India, Nepal, and Bhutan choose 10 members each from their respective province: Amdo, Kham, or U-Tsang. Out of ten seats in each province, two seats each are reserved for women.
Monks and nuns, in addition to the provincial elections, choose two representatives from their respective religious schools: Bon, Gelug, Kagyu, Nyingma, or Sakya. Residents of Australasia (excluding India, Nepal, and Bhutan) elect one, and Tibetans in Europe and North America elect two representatives each.
It is widely expected that the main contest for the post of president will be between Penpa Tsering, former Speaker of Parliament and former Representative of the Dalai Lama to Washington DC; and Gyari Dolma, former member of Parliament and former Minister of Home, CTA.
The newly-elected head of CTA and members of Parliament will take their oaths of office at the end of May 2021.
To be a qualified voter, you need to be:
1. A law-abiding Tibetan, meaning one who agrees to uphold the constitution (or the charter) of Tibetan Government-in-exile, which ironically is the one that Sikyong LS and his lawyer Lobsang Dakpa are trying to destroy.
2. Should be dues paying your Green Book or rangzen lakdep, also called dang Lang chadrel, meaning voluntary contribution. This is most important.
To be a conscientious voter, one should vote for Tibet, meaning vote for a candidate who will work for the interests of Tibet. Not for someone because s/he is from your region or province.
Regionalism is the currency that LS and his root guru Pema Chhonjor promote, as opposed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s teaching. Luckily, either of the two promoted as CTA presidential candidates in the article above will definitely be not as bad as the present incumbent, who turned out to be a “Manchurian candidate”. Google the meaning if you don’t know or watch the movie if you have time. Hope this helps.
Never voted before… please suggest how to cast vote AND how to apply for voter card.
Will Kalon Karma Yeshi be the first to tender apology and resign?
So glad PT will be running in the next election. Either one of these seasoned politicians will lead our movement for the next decade come 2021, which is a relief. We have lots of kids in the diaspora from this or that organization who would like to take the centre stage in the movement. This Sikyong thing just changed the whole exile atmosphere. Picture, in indeed, abi baggi hai mere dost.