Tibetans vote to elect new prime minister-in-exile

Dharamsala/Shimla, Mar 20 (PTI) Thousands of Tibetans
across the world on Sunday voted to elect the prime minister
of the Tibetan government-in-exile, an exercise that may usher
in a transition in the community's leadership following the
Dalai Lama's "flat refusal" to reconsider his decision to
retire as its political head.
"As many as 83,399 exiled Tibetan settled in India,
Nepal, Bhutan, the United States, European countries,
Australia, Japan, Russia and other countries were eligible to
exercise their franchise to elect the Prime minister and 43
members of Tibetan Parliament-in-exile," Jamphel Choesang,
chief election commissioner, said.
He said Tibetans across the globe took active interest
in participating in the elections and expressed happiness at
the "peaceful" conduct of polls.
"We have not received any complaint from any part of
the world," he added.
The one-day election aroused great interest this
time, as it would be for the first time that an elected prime
minister would function as democratic head sans possible
active guidance of the 75-year-old Dalai Lama.
The five-year tenure of the prime minister would be
significant as it could mark a transition from "one-man
leadership" of the Dalai lama to a democratically elected
government of exiled Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama, a Nobel peace prize winner, has been
both the spiritual and the political head of the Tibetan
government-in-exile which he had founded after fleeing to
India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule
in Tibet.
But he had on March 10 announced his decision to step
down as political head of Tibetan government-in-exile.
Tibetan officials said that the Dalai Lama, who will
continue to be the spiritual head of the community, will not
exercise his franchise in the election.
"The regional election commissions will send
their compiled documents to the head office in Dharamsala
before 15 April. After receiving all the documents, the head
office will compile the final declaration," Choesang said,
adding that the results would be announced on April 27.
The current prime minister-in-exile Samdhong Rinpoche
has already served two terms and the Tibetan charter bars an
individual from holding the office for more than that period.
The three candidates in the fray for the post of the
prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, which is
known as 'Kalon Tripa' in Tibetan language, are -- Lobsang
Sangay, Tenzin Namgyal Tethong and Tashi Wangdi.
Lobsang Sangey is a senior fellow of Harvard Law
School, whereas Tenzin Namgyal Tethong is a diplomat also
settled in the US. Tashi Wangdi was the Dalai Lama's
representative in Brussels, New York and New Delhi.
Tibetan officials maintain that the main contest was
between the US-based candidates Sangey and Namgyal. Sangey had
emerged as the front-runner during the October 3, 2010 primary
poll for nomination of prime ministerial candidates.
Sangey, 43, got the maximum number of 22,489 votes
while Namgyal got the second highest of 12,319 votes in the
primary elections that recorded 61 per cent polling.
The lone woman candidate, Dolma Gyari, who was poor
third with just 2,733 votes, opted out of the race for the
final elections. Dolma is deputy speaker in the
parliament-in-exile.
The votes polled in Nepal and Bhutan were not counted
in the primary round. "More than 1,000 votes could not be
counted as 18 ballot boxes were seized by the Nepal police at
polling booths in Kathmandu," Tibetan officials said, adding
it had been done apparently under the Chinese pressure.
"Similarly, the Bhutanese government had ordered
Tibetan authorities there not to send the ballot papers to the
election commission in Dharamsala and 613 votes cast in Bhutan
had also remained uncounted," they said.
The incumbent Prime Minister-in-exile Samdhong
Rinpoche had become the first elected prime minister for a
five-year term in September 2001 after the Dalai Lama called
for a directly elected political leader of the exiled
Tibetans. At that time, there was only one candidate in the
fray.
Rinpoche was re-elected in 2006.
The main question that weighs heavily on the minds of
the people now is as to who could run the affairs of the
Tibetans and vigorously pursue the cause of the community "in
the absence" of the Dalai Lama who guided the Tibetans and
spearheaded the struggle for genuine autonomy in their
homeland for over six decades.
There are more than 140,000 exiled Tibetans and over
one lakh are settled in different parts of India.
The Dalai Lama had on Saturday ruled out reconsidering
his decision to quit as the political head of the community
despite a plea by the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.
He returned the resolution passed by Tibetan
parliament-in-exile, asking him to reconsider his decision and
made it clear that he was firm on his "well thought of
decision" to hand over power to a democratically elected
leader, Joint Secretary at the Dalai Lama's office Tenzin
Taklha, had said.
"Now, a decision on this important matter should be
delayed no longer and all the necessary amendments to the
Charter and other related regulations should be made during
this session of parliament so that I am completely relieved of
formal authority," the Dalai Lama had said in the message.
The Speaker Penpa Tsering had submitted the resolution
passed by the exiled parliament to the Dalai Lama and he
returned the same to the body, sources in the Tibetan
administration said.