(TibetanReview.net, Sep28’20) – It is now official: Tibetans in exile will go to vote on Jan 3 in a preliminary poll whose outcome will determine the lists of candidates for the Sikyong (executive head) and the 17th Parliament in Exile elections.
And the final poll for these elections will be held on Apr 11.
Addressing a press conference on Sep 28, the Tibetan election commission has announced that two candidates will be shortlisted for the final poll for the Sikyong election after the counting of the preliminary poll ballots.
However, there will be three candidates for the Sikyong election if two people get the second highest number of votes in equal number in the preliminary poll.
But if two people get the highest number of votes in equal number, they alone will be the candidates for the final poll.
Although there is no official list of candidates for the preliminary poll, a total of nine people have so far come forward to offer their candidature either directly or through their supporters for the Sikyong election.
This is the fifth time since 2001 that Tibetans in exile will vote in direct election of the executive head of the Central Tibetan administration.
Along with the polls for the Sikyong election, Tibetans will also vote for their 45-member Parliament in Exile. The seats are allocated 10 each for the three traditional provinces of Tibet, two each for the four major Tibetan Buddhist religious schools and the pre-Buddhist Tibetan religion Bon. Besides, Tibetans residing outside South Asia will vote on the basis of their current geographical constituencies for a total of five seats.