(TibetanReview.net, May27’26) – Mr Penpa Tsering has taken his oath of office as the Sikyong (executive head) of the Central Tibetan Administration for a second five-year term this morning following his more than 61% electoral victory in February at a ceremony attended by Tibet’s exile spiritual leader, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with Indian and international guests. The venue was the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang, the main Buddhist temple in Dharamshala, India.
Amid warnings from China against India over the event, the ceremony was also attended by parliamentarians and parliamentary Tibet group representatives from several countries, including India, El Salvador, Chile, the United Kingdom, and Scotland. CTA’s Chief Justice Commissioner Yeshi Wangmo administered the oath of office.
The guests from the United Kingdom have included Chris Law, MP from the Scottish National Party and Chair of the all-party group in the parliament; Kerry McCarthy, MP from the Labour Party and former Government Minister; Wera Hobhouse, MP from the Liberal Democrats; and Alicia Kearns, MP from the Conservative Party and former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
MP guests from the Latin America have included Luis Fabian Mala from Chile and Jose Francisc from El Salvador.
Two advisors to the US Ambassador to India – Brand Kroeger and Isaiah Wartman – have also attended the event.
From the host country India, the guests have included Mr Tapir Gao, BJP Member of Lok Sabha and Co-Convenor of the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet; Mr Sujeet Kumar, a prominent BJP member of Rajya Sabha; and Mr Atya Nanda, Joint Secretary of India’s National Commission for Minorities.
The exile-born Penpa Tsering, 58, has previously served as the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and as the Dalai Lama’s representative in Washingto. He is a staunch supporter of the Dalai Lama-initiated middle way approach of seeking genuine autonomy for an undivided Tibet under China’s sovereignty.
With his inauguration, Sikyong Penpa Tsering heads the 17th Kashag (Cabinet) of the CTA. He can nominate up to seven ministerial colleagues, called Kalons, who each will have to be confirmed by the Tibetan Parliament in in Exile.
In his address, Sikyong Penpa Tsering vowed to take guidance from His Holiness the Dalai Lama while pursuing “political and social welfare initiatives with the primary goal of long-term sustainability of the Tibetan struggle until a just resolution of the Tibet-China Conflict is achieved.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the “Middle Way Policy” envisioned by His Holiness the Dalai Lama even though “there does not seem to be much space for negotiations.”
“We will continue the backchannel communications with caution and steadiness with the Chinese government while pursuing strategies to strengthen international recognition and support for the Middle Way Policy,” he said.
He called “the Chinese government’s systematic and overarching state-backed implementation of policies aimed at erasing Tibetan National Identity” the most pressing challenge in Tibet today.
He called a well-organized administration a must for advancing the cause of Tibet and ensuring services to the community. He vowed to carry forward the e-governance initiatives launched during his 16th Kashag term to make this more effective in the next five years.