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Tibetan exiles vote for premier
03/06/2006 16:25 - (SA)
Dharamsala - Thousands of Tibetan exiles, among them monks and nuns, lined up in the north Indian hill station of Dharamsala to cast their votes for a de facto prime minister on Saturday.
Voting took place at 53 polling stations, set up by the election commission in India, Nepal, North America, Europe, Australia and Taiwan.
"The polls have closed (here), and the voter turnout in Dharamsala looked OK," said Tenzin Andrugtsang, an election commissioner for the Tibetan government in exile in Dharamsala.
"We will know the true and exact number of voter turnout only after we have received ballots from other polling stations."
It is the second time Tibetans have participated in polls to elect a "Kalon Tripa" or premier.
The premier runs an exiled administration that holds no sway in Tibet.
About 72 000 Tibetans - of the 140 000 Tibetan exiles - had registered to vote, said another commissioner, Dhargyal, who uses only one name.
'It is my democratic right'
As he waited in line at a polling station at Mcleod Ganj in upper Dharamsala, 25-year-old Tenzin Choglang, said: "I have come to vote because this is my democratic right."
Incumbent premier Samdong Rinpoche is a clear favourite to be re-elected. The 66-year-old won an overwhelming victory with 82.66% in the preliminary poll on March 18.
"This election of the Kalon Tripa is very important," said Pema Jugney, former chairman of the Tibetan parliament in exile.
The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, was handing over more and more of his responsibilities, said Jugney.
"His Holiness has been saying he is in semi-retirement now, and so the responsibility of leading the Tibetan people lies heavily on the prime minister," he said.
Results are expected in early July.
'We are not seeking separation'
Officially running against Rinpoche is 77-year-old Juchen Thupten, a former cabinet minister in the Tibetan government in exile. But he is campaigning more as a supporter of the incumbent than an opponent.
"I have no interest in holding any office at this age but I am participating to help the democratic process we have started in exile," he said.
Of six candidates who were elected for the final polls, four withdrew from the contest.
The Dalai Lama reiterated in the European parliament on Thursday that he wanted self-rule for the Tibetan people, not separation from China.
"We are not seeking separation," he said. "The Tibetan issue is one of the preservation of an ancient culture and an anchoring of the Buddhist tradition."
- AFP
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