Tibetan Diaspora Participates in Worldwide Preliminary Election
- Feb 2
- 1 min read
Tibetans living outside their homeland have taken part in a coordinated global voting exercise to select candidates for the next leadership of the Central Tibetan Administration, the government-in-exile. The preliminary round of voting was held on February 1, with participation recorded across communities in Asia, Europe, North America and other regions.
Polling took place in more than two dozen countries, reflecting the wide geographic spread of the Tibetan diaspora. Election authorities set up hundreds of polling centres and deployed trained officials to oversee the process, ensuring transparency and uniform procedures across locations.
The exercise serves as the first stage of a two-phase election. It is designed to shortlist candidates for the position of Sikyong, the political head of the administration, as well as representatives to the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The final round of voting is scheduled for April, after which the new leadership will be confirmed.
In major Tibetan settlements, including those in northern India, voters turned out in large numbers despite challenging weather conditions. Many described the vote as an important democratic responsibility and a way of preserving political identity while living in exile.
The elections are conducted without political parties, a system intended to promote unity and collective decision-making. For the global Tibetan community, the polling exercise is widely viewed as a reaffirmation of democratic values and self-governance amid decades of displacement.
Comments