Central Tibetan Administration general election, 2016
Central Tibetan Administration general election, 2016
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| October 18, 2015. March 20, 2016[1] |
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Elections for the office of Sikyong (Prime Minister) and the Chitue (Members) of the Tibetan Parliament in Exile were held between October 18, 2015 and March 20, 2016. Tibetans in exile voted for the fourth time their political representative and executive of the Central Tibetan Administration the self-proclaim Tibetan government in exile.[2] The election is oversee and organize by the independent Tibetan Electoral Commission.
Incumbent Prime Minister Lobsang Sangay[3] run for re-election winning with 57.3% of the votes in the second round, over his main rival Speaker of the Parliament in Exile, Penpa Tsering.[4][5] Other candidates were Chairman of the Federation of Tibetan Cooperatives in India Tishi Wingdu and former Chinese political prisioner Lukar Jam.[3][2] Except for Jam, all other candidates abide to the “Middle Way Approach" about the Chinese-Tibetan relationship, same that is endorse by the Dalai Lama, and consist in achieve real autonomy for Tibet inside the Chinese territory. Jam on the other hand is the only candidate that openly wants full independence of Tibet from China.[3]
For the first time this election showed and proliferation of political parties, something inusual in Tibetan politics.[6] The National Democratic Party, a moderate independentist party has been traditionally the only political party in the Tibetan diaspora[2] and generally did not contested in the Parliamentary elections. The NDP endorsed Sangay and Penba Tsering for their current offices. The pro-Middle Way approach Tibetan People’s Party endorsed Wingdu[7] and also presented its own candidates for Parliament and the radically separatist Tibetan National Congress endorsed Jam.[8]
Candidates needed to pass a preliminary election held on October 18, 2015[9] [10] in which candidates required at least 33% of the votes in order to be eligible for March’s election.[11]
First round
| Candidate |
Position |
Party |
Votes |
% |
|---|
| Lobsang Sangay | Incumbet Sikyong | Endorsed by National Democratic Party | 30,508 | 66.71% |
| Penpa Tsering | Speaker of the Parliament | | 10,732 | 57.3% |
| Lukar Jam | Former political prisoner and activist | Endorsed by Tibetan National Congress | 2,557 | 5.59% |
| Tashi Wangdu | President of the Federation of Tibetan Cooperatives in India | Endorse by People's Party of Tibet | 1,880 | 4.11% |
| Tashi Topgyal | | | 104 | 0.27 |
Referencas
