E-Paper
Penpa Tsering re-elected as Sikyong of Tibetan government-in-exile
The Election Commission on Friday announced the results of the preliminary election for the Sikyong and members of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile
The Election Commission of the Dharamshala-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) declared incumbent Sikyong Penpa Tsering elected as the Sikyong (political leader) of the 17th Kashag (Cabinet) after he secured 61.025% of the total votes.
The Election Commission on Friday announced the results of the preliminary election for the Sikyong and members of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The preliminary polls were held on February 1, at 309 polling zones established under the supervision of 87 regional election offices across 27 countries.
Tsering was declared elected as Sikyong in accordance with Article 67(4) of the Election Rules and Regulations stipulating that “If a candidate secured more than 60% of the total votes in the preliminary round, the final round shall not be conducted, and the candidate shall be declared elected as Sikyong.”
The EC disclosed that a total of 51,140 Tibetans participated in the Sikyong election, with 103 candidates contesting. Following the incumbent Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang and Tsering Phuntsok secured 17,843 and 159 votes respectively.
Penpa Tsering, who is a former speaker of Tibet’s parliament-in-exile, was earlier elected as the Sikyong in 2021 general election after he got 34,324 votes in the final round of election that was held on April 11. Born in the Bylakuppe Refugee Camp in Karnataka in 1967, Tsering attended the Central School for Tibetans at Bylakuppe, topping the merit list in Class 12. He did his graduation from Madras Christian College, Chennai, where he majored in economics.
Tsering served as the general secretary for the Tibetan Freedom Movement and the Nigerian-Tibet Friendship Association during his college days and later as executive director at the Tibetan Parliamentary and Research Centre in Delhi from 2001-08.
He was elected to the 12th and 13th Tibetan parliament-in-exile and served two terms as speaker from 2008-16. Tsering contested the 2016 Sikyong election but lost to Lobsang Sangay.
The exiled Tibetan community will go to polls once again during the final elections on April 26, to elect the members of 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The Election Commissioner on Friday announced that candidates for the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile must confirm their candidature by February 27, 2026 by submitting a letter of confirmation to the Election Commission through their respective local Election Commission.
