Table of Contents
TIBETAN PARLIAMENT-IN-EXILE (TPIE)
- It is called Central Tibetan Administration. The Central Tibetan Administration exists and functions on the basis of the Constitution of the Tibetan government called the ‘The Charter of the Tibetans in Exile’.
TIBETAN PARLIAMENT-IN-EXILE (TPIE)
- The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) has its headquarters in Dharamsala, in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
IS TPIE OFFICIALLY RECOGNISED BY ANY COUNTRY?
- Not exactly, it is not recognised officially by any country, including India.
- But, a number of countries including the United States of America and European nations deal directly with the Sikyong and other Tibetan leaders through various forums.
SIKYONG/PRESIDENT
TIBETAN PARLIAMENT-IN-EXILE (TPIE)
- The Speaker and a Deputy Speaker head the Tibetan Parliament-inexile. The 16th TPiE had 45 members:
- 10 representatives from each of the traditional provinces of Tibetan – U-Tsang, Dhotoe and Dhomey
- Two from each of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the pre-Buddhist Bon religion
- Two representing each of the Tibetan Communities in North America and Europe
- One from Australasia and Asia (excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan)
THE KASHAG (CABINET)
- The Kashag (Cabinet) is Central Tibetan Administration’s highest executive office and comprise seven members.
- It is headed by the Sikyong (political leader) who is directly elected by the exiled Tibetan population.
- Sikyong, subsequently nominates his seven Kalons (ministers) and seeks the parliament’s approval.
- The Kashag’s term is for five years.
- The 2021 elections will be held to elect the president and 45 members of the TPiE.
- The result of the first round which will begin in January will be declared on February 8 with the final result expected on May 14, 2021.
WHO ALL WILL VOTE?
- Over 1.3 lakh Tibetans living in exile shall be electing their next Parliament-in-Exile, and it’s head in May 2021.
- Note: Over 1 lakh Tibetans are settled across India, while the remaining are settled in United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Mexico, Mongolia, Germany, United Kingdom, Switzerland and various other countries.
HOW WILL THEY VOTE?
- According to the CTA’s Election Commission, nearly 80,000 Tibetans living outside Tibet have registered for voting so far, including roughly 56,000 living in India and 24,000 in other countries. Only Tibetans living outside the subcontinent will elect their MPs based on their current geographic location.
THE 2021 ELECTIONS
- The voting will be held in two rounds.
- In the preliminary round (January 3, 2021) a voter can choose any person of his choice, which is expected to be one of the several candidates who have started campaigning among the electorate.
- Unless a person secures 60 percent of the vote, the two top contenders of the first round will become the official candidates for the second round to be held in April 11.
DEMOCRACY FOR THE TIBETANS BEGAN IN INDIA
- The Dalai Lama began democratisation soon after he came to India during the 1959 Tibetan National Uprising.
- He asked Tibetans in exile to choose their representatives through universal adult suffrage, following which polls were held for electing Tibetan Parliamentarians in 1960.
- Democracy for the Tibetans, thus, began in exile.
SELECTION TO ELECTION
- In 1990, the Kashag, which until then had been appointed by the Dalai Lama, was dissolved and a new cabinet elected by freshly-elected assembly members.
- In 2001, the Tibetan electorate for the first time directly elected the chairperson of the cabinet called Kalon Tripa, equivalent to the prime minister.
- The Kalon Tripa could now directly appoint his or her own cabinet.
THE PROCESS OF DEMOCRATIZATION
- The Dalai Lama, however, continued to remain the supreme political leader. On March 14, 2011, he relinquished his political responsibilities, ending a 369-year-old practice.
- The Kalon Tripa thus became the highest political office-holder among the Tibetans in exile.
- The position of Kalon Tripa was subsequently renamed Sikyong.
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