80,000 Tibetans in exile vote to elect president; Eight in fray

New Delhi: Notwithstanding China's message to India against toeing the US line on Tibetan cause, the Tibetan community here on Sunday cast their votes to elect their President or Sikyong and Parliament-in-exile for the next 5 years.

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 in Dharamshala.

A total of eight candidates are in the race for Sikyong, including the representative of the Dalai Lama in 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.


The two candidates from the eight contestants who will garner the maximum number of votes in the primary election on January 3 will go head to head in the final polls on April 11.