Planning for the Post-Dalai Lama Era: Over 90,000 Tibetans Vote for Exile Government

Bylakuppe, India (AFP) — Tibetans living outside China's control cast their votes today to elect an exile government. The election is especially significant as Tibetans prepare for an inevitable future without their revered leader, the Dalai Lama.

The Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), based in India, is an important institution for the Tibetan diaspora, despite being condemned by China as a "separatist political group." Its importance grew after the Dalai Lama transferred political power in 2011.

"Our votes are crucial," said 19-year-old first-time voter Tenzin Tsering, who hopes to increase the voice of young people in the system. Speaking in Bylakuppe, one of India's largest Tibetan settlements in Karnataka, he added, "We need a voice that reflects our community's vision for the future, not just staying in the past."

Voting is expected to take place in 27 countries, excluding China. There are 91,000 registered voters worldwide, including Buddhist monks in the Himalayas, political exiles in South Asian cities, and refugees in Australia, Europe, and North America.

The 90-year-old Dalai Lama has been in exile in India since escaping Lhasa in 1959 after a failed uprising. While he insists he has many years left, his supporters are aware that the Chinese government claimed last year that any successor must be approved by Beijing. The Dalai Lama has stated that the Gaden Phodrang Foundation is the only entity with the authority to recognize his reincarnation.