DHARMSALA, India (AP) – Hundreds of Tibetans in exile braved the rain and cold Sunday in the northern city of Dharmsala, where the outlawed government is based, and voted for their new political leader as the current five-year term is approaching .
Voters wore masks, maintained social distance and used hand sanitizers when casting their ballots during the first round of elections. Many have helped elderly voters fill out the right forms.
In this first phase of the vote, two candidates for the highest government post as president will be shortlisted, including 90 MPs. The second and final round of voting will take place in April.
“We are sending a clear message to Beijing that Tibet is under occupation, but that Tibetans are free in exile. And if we get a chance, an opportunity, we prefer democracy, ‘said Lobsang Sangay, who will soon complete his second and final term as Tibetan political leader. “No matter what you do, the pride of Tibetans, the meaning of Tibetans, is to be democratic and to practice democracy.”
Tibet’s exile, now called the Central Tibetan Administration, was established in 1959 and has executive, judicial and legislative branches, with candidates for the office of sikyong, or president, elected by universal suffrage since 2011.
China says that Tibet has been historically part of its territory since the middle of the 13th century, and that its Communist Party has ruled the region of the Himalayas since 1951. But many Tibetans say that they have been effectively independent for most of their history and that the Chinese government wants to exploit their resource-rich region while crushing their cultural identity.
The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, and his followers have been living in Dharmsala since fleeing Tibet following a failed uprising in 1959 against Chinese rule.
Many young Tibetans are contesting the parliamentary election this year. As the Dalai Lama grows older, the Tibetan youth realize that they need to participate more in government.
“As someone who has studied technology, I believe I can make parliamentary communication safer and fill the gaps in the information database,” said Lobsang Sither, 38.
Sither said previous governments had largely focused on the Tibetan diaspora and not enough on Tibetans in Tibet.
“It needs to change. “Unless we have reliable information about the situation in Tibet, we cannot formulate policies to help Tibetans there,” said Sither.
China does not recognize the Tibetan exile government and has not held talks with representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010. India considers Tibet to be part of China, although it houses the Tibetan exiles.
Some Tibetan groups advocate independence for Tibet, as little progress has been made in the dialogue with China.
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This story has been corrected to show that Lobsang Sither is 38, not 48.