The former speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, Penpa Tsering, has been elected as the President of the Central Tibetan Administration, officials informed on May 14, 2021.
The Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Wangdu Tsering Pesur informed during an online press briefing that Penpa Tsering was successfully able to secure 34,324 votes for the post of ‘Sikyong’ (President) of the 17th Parliament-in-Exile of the Central Tibetan Administration.
On the other hand, Kalsang Dorjee Aukatsang won 28,907 votes in the recently held polls.
The first directly elected President of the Central Tibetan Administration was Lobsang Tenzin. He was elected for the position on August 20, 2001.
Election Commissioner Wangdu Tsering formally declares Penpa Tsering as the elected Sikyong, also declares the 45 elected members of the 17th Tibetan parliament. https://t.co/FLA0KwvKVE
— Tibet.net (@NetTibet) May 14, 2021
Before 2011, the post of the President of Central Tibetan Administration was subordinate to the Dalai Lama, who has been presiding over the Tibetan government-in-exile since its founding.
Key Highlights:
• More than 83,000 Tibetans who have been living in 26 countries participated in the third and final round of voting for the election to the post of Sikyong on April 11, 2021.
• The Chief Election Commissioner also announced the appointment of the 45 members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
• The 45 new members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile will include 10 members who will be representing each of Tibetan’s three traditional provinces- Kham, U-Tsang, and Amdo and two representatives will be from each of Tibet’s four major schools of Buddhism and pre-Buddhist Bon religion.
Who is Penpa Tsering?
He was born in a refugee camp in 1967 in Bylakupee in Karnataka. Penpa Tsering is a Tibetan politician who was elected to the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration for two terms from 1996 and 2006.
After this, between 2008 and 2016, he also became the speaker of the 14th and the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. After becoming President of the Central Tibet Administration, he will be succeeding the current President Lobsang Sangay.
About Central Tibetan Administration:
It is Tibet’s elected Parliamentary government which is based in Dharamshala, India. The Central Tibet Administration is also referred to as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.
Ever since it was formed in 1959, the Central Tibet Administration has not been officially recognized by the Chinese Government. However, the Tibetan refugees and diaspora support and recognizes the Central Tibetan Administration by voting for the President, Parliament members and by making annual financial contributions.
Tibet-China conflict: Background
The Tibetan territory is administered by the People’s Republic of China, a situation that is considered as an illegitimate military occupation by the Central Tibetan Administration.
The CTA maintains the position that Tibet is an independent and distinct nation with a long history of Independence, while the Chinese Government justifies its military occupation over the territory by claiming that China is a multi-ethnic nation and that the Government of China has continuously exercised sovereignty over Tibet for over 700 years.
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