Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, will on Monday offer to formally relinquish his position as temporal head of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, days after he said he wanted to step down as a political leader.
"The office of the Dalai Lama has already sent us a written message that would be read out in parliament," Penpa Tsering, speaker of the parliament in-exile, told Hindustan Times.
On Thursday, the Dalai Lama, 75, announced his plans to retire from politics at a function organised to mark the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising. The Dalai Lama has held that position since then.
The decision is seen as a move to modernise the government-in-exile and prepare young Tibetans for a future without him.
But the parliament-in-exile is unlikely to accept his decision as lawmakers and other top officials feel the government-in-exile would lack legitimacy without the Dalai Lama.
"The Dalai Lama's decision is praiseworthy but at the same time the public would not accept it easily," said two-time directly elected Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche.
Tenzing Gyastso, supposed to be 14th incarnation of the Dalai Lama, the most influential figure in Tibetan Buddhism, set up the Tibetan government-in-exile after he fled Lhasa in 1959, following a failed uprising against Chinese occupation of Tibet.
{{/usCountry}}Tenzing Gyastso, supposed to be 14th incarnation of the Dalai Lama, the most influential figure in Tibetan Buddhism, set up the Tibetan government-in-exile after he fled Lhasa in 1959, following a failed uprising against Chinese occupation of Tibet.
{{/usCountry}}Although the Tibetan government-in-exile is not recognised by any other government, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and has been the global face of the Tibetan movement.
The Dalai Lama seeks greater autonomy for Tibet within the Chinese constitution.