(TibetanReview.net, Oct08’25) – The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) announced at a press conference in Dharamshala, India, Oct 7 morning that voting for the election of the Sikyong, the executive head of the CTA, and the 45-member, 18th Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) will take place on Feb 1 and Apr 26.
The preliminary poll will be held on Feb 1. This is meant to select the lists of candidates for the election of Sikyong and members of the TPiE, for both of which the final poll will be held on Apr 26.
The preliminary poll is an open election with no official lists of candidates.
The 2025-26 elections will be conducted under the slogan of ‘I AM TIBET, I VOTE FOR TIBET’, signifying unity and strength of the Tibetan people.
The registration of voters will begin on Oct 8 and conclude by Nov 8.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering is eligible for re-election, as this is his first term.
All Tibetans aged 18 or above as on Nov 23, 2025, will be eligible to vote, if their Tibetan identity Green Book is up-to-date as of Mar 31, 2026.
The Election Commission has decided that for the election of the Sikyong, the two candidates winning the highest numbers of votes in the preliminary poll will be the candidates for the final poll.
The current strength of the TPiE is 45, consisting of 10 members – including at least two women – from each of the three provinces of Tibet; 2 members from each of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the Bon religion; 2 members elected by the Tibetan community in North and South Americas; 2 members elected by the Tibetan community in Europe and Africa; and 1 member elected by the Tibetan community in Asia (excluding India, Nepal & Bhutan) and Australasia.
Total voter registration during the last general elections, held in 2021, was 83,080, with the turnout being 77.02%.