Election Commission announces final list of candidates for 2011 Tibetan Elections

Chief Election Commissioner Mr Jamphel Choesang (Centre) and the two additional election commissioners, Ven. Geshe Rigzin Choedak (R) and Mr Jeper Yangkho Gyal, (L) at a press conference at the DIIR Hall in Dharamsala, India, Wednesday, Jan 19 2011. (Photo: Phayul/Norbu Wangyal)

The final rounds of the elections due to be held on March 20 will elect the third directly-elected Prime Minister (Kalon Tripa) of Tibet's government in exile and the members of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.

At a press conference held here this morning, the Chief Election Commissioner Mr Jamphel Choesang announced Dr Lobsang Sangay, a senior research fellow at the Harvard Law School, Mr Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, a former prime minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile, and Mr Tashi Wangdi, a former minister in the exile government, as the three final candidates for the Tibetan prime ministerial elections.

Following the hotly contested preliminary rounds of the prime ministerial election held in October last year, the Election Commission had shortlisted a total of top six candidates for the final round of its election.

The other three candidates – Mrs Gyari Dolma, the incumbent deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, Mr Lobsang Jinpa and Khorlatsang Sonam Topgyal – later withdrew their candidacy.

Out of the total votes cast by Tibetan exiles around the world in the preliminary race, Dr Sangay secured 22,489 votes, which is more than 10,000 votes ahead of the next highest voted candidate. Mr Tethong, Mrs Gyari, Mr Wangdi, Mr Jinpa and Mr Topgyal had secured 12319, 2733, 2101, 1545 and 605 votes respectively.

For the Parliamentary Elections, the election commission has finalised as many as 94 candidates to race for the 44 seats in the exile Tibetan Parliament.

These include 64 candidates for provincial elections, which include 23 candidates, including three voluntary candidates, for U-Tsang province; 21, including 1 voluntary candidate for Do-toe; and 20 candidates for Domed province.

The remaining 30 candidates are from the five major religious sects and, the North America and Europe regions.

While the religious sects have four candidates each, there are five candidates with 1 voluntary candidate each to elect from both North America and European regions.

Out of the 79,449 registered voters, little over 47,000 (approximately 61%) voted in the preliminary polls conducted on October 3.

Mr Choesang said his office was expecting considerable increase in the number of registered voters after it had announced fresh registration dates from November 30, 2010 to January 17, 2011 for eligible voters who had missed the preliminary elections.

He said the extended voter registration should accordingly reach the EC’s office by January 24, 2011.

Unlike in the past, the Election Commission this time had decided both the prime ministerial and parliamentary elections would take place on the same day both during their preliminary and final rounds.

Estimates show that some 120,000 of the approximately 150,000 Tibetan exiles worldwide are above the age of 18 and are eligible to vote. In the last prime ministerial election in 2006, 72,000 (60%) were registered to vote and, an estimated 26.8% (32,205 people) actually voted.

The forthcoming general elections will not only decide the third directly elected Tibetan PM, but will also determine the successor to the incumbent Kalon Tripa, marking the first democratic transfer of executive power in the history of the Tibetan nation.

In 2001, Prof Samdhong Rinpoche became the first directly elected prime minister after the Dalai Lama, as part of an effort to further democratize the Tibetan polity towards the late 1990’s, called for a directly "elected political leader" of the Tibetans living in exile.

Rinpoche is currently running his second consecutive term in the office after he secured a landslide victory in the 2006 elections receiving more than 29,000 votes (90.72%) of the total votes cast.

Rinpoche is expected to complete his term in August this year. Like other democratic countries, the charter of the Tibetan exiles bars a candidate from serving more than two consecutive terms.

The Tibetan Government-in-Exile has been based in India since it was re-established outside Tibet since the Dalai Lama and the first wave of refugees fled Tibet in 1959, soon after Chinese occupied the country.

The Dalai Lama, who is revered by Tibetans as their supreme leader, has lately described himself as a “semi-retired” person, saying he has already delegated much of the administrative and political decisions to the democratically elected Prime Minister of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile.

The decision, the 76-year old Dalai Lama says, is pursuant to the “highest priority” given soon after coming into exile in 1959 to establishing a system of governance for the Tibetan people fully based on democratic principles.

His Holiness, however, insists, it would be his “moral responsibility” to continue to act as the “free spokesperson” of Tibetan people until a mutually satisfactory solution to the Tibet problem is found.

More recently the Tibetan leader announced that he was further contemplating complete retirement from Tibetan administrative matters, but clarified that it would not mean "complete disassociation" from the Tibetan cause.

Candidates for election of Kalon Tripa

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Lobsang Senge	Lithang	US	22489
2	Tenzin Namgyal Tethong	Lhasa	US	12319
3	Tashi Wangdu	Lhoka	Europe	2101

Candidates for election of 15^th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile

U-Tsang Province

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok	Ngari	Delhi	8655
2	Pema Jungney	Toe Ruthog	Dharamsala or Dehradun	7525
3	Dolma Tsering	Drakne	Dharamsala	7446
4	Karma YEshi	Sakya	Dharamsala	7276
5	Dawa Tsering	Toe Rachu	Dharamsala	6662
6	Bhumo Tsering	Kongpo	Dharamsala	6246
7	Dawa Phunkyi	Tsang Khampa	Dharamsala	6075
8	Tseten Norbu	Drokme	Nepal	5717
9	Jigme Jungney	Teo Ruthog	Bylakuppe	5372
10	Ugen Tenzin	Tsang Dochen	Dharamsala	4703
11	Jamyang Dorjee	Phenpo	Nepal	4552
12	Ngawang Lhamo	Toe Dhingri	Dharamsala	4034
3	Godrug Kelsang Phuntsok	Toe Yondhong	Dharamsala	3927
14	Geshe Kelsang Damdul	Tsona	Dharamsala	3859
15	Sharling Tenzin Dadon	Tsang Dumpa	Dharamsala	3648
16	Tsering Dolma	Dzongkha Tsang	Rajpur	2676
17	Chemey Yungdrung	Ngari	Dharamsala	2485
18	Sonam Sangpo	Choezong	Nepal	2241
19	Jhanyang Tsering Lhakyap	Gyaltse	Bylakuppee	2046
20	Menram Pema Dorjee	Lhodrak	Dharamsala	1840
21	Phunrab Choesang	Kharteng	Mundgod	Volunteer
22	Lungrig Sonam	Taktse zong	Mussoorie	Volunteer
23	Kunchok Tsering	Zonga Tsang	Poanta	Volunteer

Do-Toe Province

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Bawa Kelsang Gyaltsen	Bawa	Dharamsala	6669
2	Jhuchen Kunchok Choedon	Derge	Dharamsala	6011
3	Serta Tsultrim	Serta	Dharamsala	5700
4	Tsultrim Tenzin	Karze	Bir	4061
5	Geshe Yungdrung Gyaltsen	Khyungpo	Nepal	3242
6	Aukartsang Youdon	Chamdo	Delhi	3105
7	Ghang Lhamo	Drakyab	Dharamsala	3076
8	Choekyong Wangchuk	Gapa	Delhi	2788
9	Lobsang Yeshi	Tsarong	Bylakuppee	2683
10	Dorjee Wangdue	Lithang	Delhi	2100
11	Jamyang Soepa	Lithang	Dharamsala	2007
12	Gapa Lhamo	Bawa	Dehradun	1773
13	Choephel Thupten	Bawa	Bangalore	1489
14	Pema Deleg	Lingtsang	Bylakuppee	1364
15	Yangchen Dolker	Derge	Shilong	1327
16	Dhaoo Tsetan	Gapa	Kamrao	1315
17	Dawa Dolma	Karze	Honsur	1278
18	Karma Khedup	Riwoche	Orissa	1144
19	Gowo Lobsang Phende	Bapa	Mundgod	1057
20	Ngawang Tenpa	Riwoche	Nepal	968
21	Tashi Phuntsok	Nangchen	Sikkim	Volunteer

Do-Mey Province

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Penpa Tsering	Nangra	Dharmsala	1723
2	Gyalrong Dawa Tsering	Gyalrong	Mainpat	1505
3	Thupten Lungrig	Rebkong	Dharamsala	1437
4	Phelgye Dolma Tsomo	Jhakyung	Nepal	1252
5	Sonam Gyaltsen	Thika	Dharamsala	1136
6	Kirti Dolker Lhamo	Ngapa	Dharamsala	1108
7	Dolkar Kyap	Machu	Dharamsala	1100
8	Tsering Youdon	Choney	Honsur	914
9	Yeshi Dolma	Hortsang	Dharamsala	887
10	Menpa Khyenrab	Thika	Dharamsala	581
11	Mogru Tenpa	Tsolho	Dharamsala	558
12	Gyarigthar	Mangra	Dharamsala	502
13	Kunthar Dhondup	Labdrang	Dharamsala	351
14	Lobsang Palden	Ragya	Byalakuppee	347
15	Karma Geleg	Jhakyung	Bandara	340
16	Chabdrak Lhamo Kyap	Yugang	Dharamsala	312
17	Lukhar Jam	Aatsok	Dharamsala	222
18	Tashi Dhondup	Golog	Nepal	220
19	Tsangyang Gyatso	Golog	Dharamsala	208
20	Tsering Dorjee	Rebkong	Dharmasala	157

Nyingma

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Lopon Sonam Tenphel	Rekhe	Bylakuppee	1291
2	Gyari Bhutrug	Nyagrong	Bangalore	775
3	Lopon Drimey Gyaltsen	Derge	Dharamsala	463
4	Khenpo Choeyang	Serta	Dharamsala	82

Kagyu

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Tenpa Yarphel	Chamdo	Dharamsala	335
2	Karma Choephel	U-tsang	Dharamsala	229
3	Khangkar Wangchuk Dorjee	Phuri	Nepal	165
4	Lama Trinley	Ngari	Darjeeling	142

Sakya

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Norbu Tsering	Derge	Bir	231
2	Choedak Gyatso	Nangchen	Dehradun	196
3	Geshe Gasi Tseringpo	Gonjo	Bir	86
4	Thupten Gyaltsen	Markham	Purwala	58

Gelug

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Rongpo Lobsang Nyendak	Ronpo	Bylakuppee	1228
2	Atruk Tsetan	Lithang	Mundgod	1228
3	Geshe Lobsang	Karze	Bylakuppee Sera	529
4	Thungsar Rinpoche Tenzin Palden	Tehor	Delhi	393

Bon

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Geshe Monlam Tharchin	Khyungpo	Solan	70
2	Bhara Tsewang Tashi	Hor Drachen	Solan	41
3	Geshe Namdhak Tsukphui	Hor Drachen	Varanasi	18
4	Lobsang Gyatso	Khyunglung	Solan	6

North America

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Tashi Namgyal	Do-toe	Seattle	1046
2	Norbu Tsering	U-tsang	Toronto	826
3	Kunga Thinley	U-tsang	New York	384
4	Tashi Phuntsok	U-tsang	Calgary	343
5	Dekyi Choeyang	Do-mey	North America	Volunteer

 

Europe

Sno	Name	Native	Residence	Total votes in preliminary round
1	Thupten Wangchen	Kyirong	Spain	657
2	Wangpo Tethong	Lhasa	Switzerland	430
3	Chungdak Koren	Phari	Norway	427
4	Samdo Jhampa Tsering	Ae Lhagyari	Switzerland	252
5	Monkhar Sonam Phuntsok	Tsang Gyaltse	Switzerland	Volunteer