Tibetans-in-exile cast votes to elect 'Sikyong' in Dharamshala
Jan 03, 2021
Dharamshala (Himachal Pradesh), [India], January 3 : Tibetans living in exile here cast their vote on Sunday in the first round of elections to elect the next President or Sikyong and members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile.
Over 80,000 Tibetans living in various parts of the globe registered for the elections, which will be held in two rounds, according to the election commission of the Central Tibetan Administration headquartered in Dharamshala.
There are 12 polling stations in and around Dharamshala where the polling went on smoothly. Members of the Election Commission and volunteers from different Tibetan Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) assisted to complete the preparations.
The second round of elections would be held on April 11, 2021.
A total of eight candidates are in the race for Sikyong, including the representative of the Dalai Lama in New Delhi and former Central Tibetan Administration (CAT) home minister Kasur Dongchung Ngodup, former representative of Dalai Lama to North America Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang, former speaker of the Parliament-in-exile Penpa Tsering and incumbent deputy speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntosok and former deputy speaker and former home minister Dolma Gyari.
Incumbent Sikyong Lobsang Sangay was the first elected political leader of exiled Tibetans. An individual can serve only two terms as a Sikyong.
