(TibetanReview.net, Jan28’26) – The Election Commission (EC) of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has on Jan 28 suspended the electoral rights of one person for eight years and cautioned two others for violating or potentially violating the electoral rules in a press release. The release also issued a host of clarifications while announcing the full timetable for the conduct of the elections of the Sikyong and the 18th Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) and the declaration of results.
Stating a finding of a violation of electoral rules, the release said Tibetan Medicine Doctor Ngawang Lodoe (Amchi Tara), resident of Lugsam Tibetan settlement at Bylakuppe, had on Nov 2, 2025, made exaggerated and baseless criticisms of Ms Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar, member of the outgoing, 17th TPiE, in his Dr. Tara Tibet Medicine Youtube posting. It penalised him by depriving him of his rights to vote as well as to stand for CTA elections for eight years, starting from Jan 28, 2026.
The release said the EC had cautioned Mr Aukatsang Kelsang Dorje, who while making a press statement, announcing that he was standing for the Sikyong Election, had remarked to the effect that “no one can measure up to the enormity of the accomplishments of His Holiness (the Dalai Lama). But including His Holiness, no one is faultless. (Still), whatever may be the case, his skill, knowledge, and background cannot be matched by a multitude of other people.” The release said the remark had provoked contentions and criticisms from the Tibetan public. The EC said it had cautioned the “Sikyong candidate” on Dec 16, 2025, saying such remarks were potentially violative of the electoral rules.
The release also said the EC had cautioned Reverend Dorje, of Nechung Monastery, for going beyond explaining the pronouncements of Tibet’s state oracle Nechung to make a multitude of overly political remarks at a time when the Sikyong-TPiE election process was ongoing while answering questions from a Tibetan broadcast service on Dec 30. It said the remarks could have caused social disturbance and endangered the electoral process.
This referred to the Dec 27 invocation of the Nechung by the Drepung Monastery, in which the state oracle rebuked the two Gelug members of the TPiE for having alleged slandered against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for playing politics of sectarian and provincial bigotry. It led to the duo being required by the monastic university’s administrative body, the Lachi, to offer penitence and reaffirm commitment to rectitude in their future conduct.
The release criticized Tibetan groups and organizations that had allegedly debarred its members from standing for the CTA elections, including by emending their rules or passing resolutions, saying this was a violation of the electoral rules.
The release complimented the TPiE members for avoiding official tours during election times but faulted the Sikyong, who it said is a candidate, for doing so, as this was inviting public criticisms. The EC accordingly called on the Sikyong to avoid all official public engagements – including those involving the implementation of welfare schemes – except for routine ones, unless they are of urgent necessity.
The release said it had got cancelled a series of meetings which could or could have interfere with the orderliness of the electoral process, including an Oct 14, 2025 meeting of the group called the Voluntary General Public Advocacy Body; a Feb 23-27, 2026 general conference of campaigners for an independent Tibet to be organized by the CTA’s Department of Security; and a Mar 11, 2026 meeting of Tibet Support Groups in India being organized at Dharamshala by the CTA’s Department of Information and International Relations in which the Speaker of the TPiE and the Sikyong were to be the chief guests.
The press release said the Preliminary polls will be held as scheduled on Feb 1, with the results to be declared on Feb25 and the final lists of candidates to be out on Apr 3. The final polls will also be held as scheduled on Apr 26, with the results to be announced on May 13, 2026.
The release said participating in the votings will be Tibetans living in 27 countries, with the number of local electoral bodies being 87, and the number of polling booths 309. There will be a total of 1,737 electoral staff, including at 31 winter Tibetan sweater-sellers’ market sites in India.