The Tibetan Election Commission of the

Central Tibetan Administration The Central Tibetan Administration (, , ), often referred to as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, is a non-profit political organization based in Dharamshala, India. Its organization is modeled after an elective parliamentary government, compo ...

has confirmed that the procedure set for the preparation of the next general elections of 2021 is underway, according to a statement by Wangdu Tsering Pesur, chief electoral commissioner.Choekyi Lhamo
Preparations for 2021 general elections underway, says Election Commissioner
''

Phayul.com Phayul.com (''Fatherland'' in Tibetan) is a leading English language news portal. website that publishes news and opinion about Tibet and Tibet-in-exile. Created in 2001 by Tibetan exiles in India, it is published in the English language ...

'', July 27, 2020 Wangdu Tsering has indicated that the worsening

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

could cause problems, but hopes for an improvement. Regarding independent or NGO-based candidacy announcement, Wangdu Tsering Pesur recalled the Election Commission (EC) guidelines: “We have been very clear in the guidelines about candidature announcements, in that only EC declares the names of the candidates contesting elections. Even though there have been some announcements through social media on the basis of support and strength of certain individuals, we urge the community to adhere to the EC guidelines as has been done up until now.". The term of the current cabinet headed by Dr.

Lobsang Sangay Lobsang Sangay (, ; born 5 September 1968) is a Tibetan-American politician who was Kalon Tripa of the Tibetan Administration from 2011 to 2012, and Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration from 2012 to 2021. The Tibetan Administration ...

, who has served for two consecutive terms, will end with his retirement as

Sikyong The () is the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, a Tibetan exile organisation also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile based on the 2011 Charter of Tibetans-in-exile. The title was created in 2012 after the 14th Dalai ...

in May 2021.

Sikyong Candidates

The first Tibetans to publicly announce their proposed candidacy for the highest office in Tibetan politics "

" are former minister

Dolma Gyari Dölma Gyari (born 1964) is a well-known Tibetan politician in exile, a former activist, active since the early 1980s. Early life and education Gyari was born in 1964 in Kalimpong in India. She studied at the Central School for Tibetans (CST) ...

; former minister, representative of Dalai Lama in the America and acting president of the Tibet Fund - Lobsang Nyandak; and member of parliament Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok. Thereafter, Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang, Tashi Wangdu, and

Penpa Tsering Penpa Tsering () (born 1967) is a Tibetan politician. He is the second democratically elected Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration. He succeeded the last Sikyong Lobsang Sangay on 27 May 2021. Penpa Tsering was the speaker of the Parliam ...

announced their candidacy for the election of Sikyong on September 2, 2020. Ngodup Dongchung announced his candidacy on September 9, and Tashi Topgyal, on September 10.

Smartvote Tibet

Throughout 2020, a civil society initiative called

Smartvote {{DISPLAYTITLE:smartvote smartvote is a Swiss voting advice application (VAA) similar to ''Stemwijzer'' in the Netherlands or ''Wahl-o-Mat'' in Germany. In Switzerland, smartvote has been offering its services since 2003, and since 2005 it has been ...

Tibet invited Tibetans to submit questions for Sikyong and MP candidates in order to build an informed electorate. Smartvote Tibet is an initiativ
formed by a group of Tibetans
who have a background in political science, history, psychology, technology and human rights law. Once the public submit questions on a wide range of current issues, the candidates answer them. Then, voters can answer the same set of questions after which they receive a list of candidates that best match their preferences. The project smartvote Tibet was covered by Tibetan media outlets such a
Radio Free AsiaVoice of Tibet
an
Phayul
In a piece profiling younger candidates

mentioned smartvote. An article about the advantages and challenges of smartvote Tibet was written by team member Sonam Palmo Brunner an
published by Global Voices
The platform is an adapted version of

smartvote {{DISPLAYTITLE:smartvote smartvote is a Swiss voting advice application (VAA) similar to ''Stemwijzer'' in the Netherlands or ''Wahl-o-Mat'' in Germany. In Switzerland, smartvote has been offering its services since 2003, and since 2005 it has been ...

, which was first developed in 2003 by Politools in Switzerland. The tool has been successfully implemented for regional and national elections in Switzerland, Australia, Luxembourg, Austria, Scotland as well as in the European Union.

Dates

The primary election of Sikyong and MPs is announced for January 3, 2021, with the results set to finalize by February 8. Hundreds of voters, most wearing facemasks, using hand sanitzer, and maintaining social distancing, voted in

Dharamshala Dharamshala (; also spelled Dharamsala) is the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It serves as administrative headquarters of the Kangra district after being relocated from Kangra, a city located away from Dharamshala, in 1855. The ...

, India. Following the initial primary, the two Sikyong candidates receiving the highest vote share move on the second round. The date for the second round is set for March 20.

Sikyong Candidates

Smartvote Tibet

Dates

References

See also