After the preliminary round of exile Tibetan elections, top two candidates will be contesting in the final round. According to the compilation of polling results by local election bodies in exile, there are two clear front runners. While the lead is held by former Speaker Penpa Tsering, Kalsang Dorjee Aukatsang has clinched the second spot. The official announcement will be made by the Election Commission next month.
The Tibetan diaspora collectively exercised their rights to vote in one of the most unique democratic set ups in the world. Thousands of them voted to elect their political leader as well as their representatives of their government in exile based in India. While counting at the local election commissions across the world completed by January 12, the final results of the preliminary round will be announced on February 8.
Preliminary vote counts confirmed by RFA show former speaker of Tibet’s exile parliament Penpa Tsering in first place with 23,687 votes, followed by Aukatsang Kelsang Dorjee, former representative of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, with 13,754 votes. Gyari Dolma, former CTA home minister and the first woman to run for the office of Sikyong, came third in the race with 13,126 votes, and Drongchung Ngodup, representative of the Dalai Lama in the Indian capital New Delhi, came fourth with votes totaling 9,742.
The Election Commission of Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala, India will make the formal announcement of election results on February 8. The top two front runners from the preliminary elections of Sikyong will contest for the final round. With the final round of elections scheduled for April 11, final outcomes will be announced on May 14.
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