Dharamshala: In accordance with the Charter of Tibetans-in-Exile, Speaker Dolma Tsering Teykhang of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile administered the oath of office to Tashi Dhondup, the newly appointed Member of Parliament representing Domey Province, earlier today. He succeeds former Parliamentarian Pema Tso.

Following the appointment of Pema Tso as a Kalon (Minister), the vacancy was filled in accordance with Article 57, Clause II of the Charter. The replacement was selected from the reserve waiting list maintained by the Central Tibetan Election Commission for the concerned constituency. The selection was based on the required minimum number of votes secured by candidates who were not elected to Parliament during the 2026 general election, with preference given to the candidate holding the highest number of votes among those on the existing reserve list.

The swearing-in ceremony was held at 10:00 a.m. in the Parliament Hall in the presence of the Speaker and members of the Standing Committee of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. The ceremony began with the offering of traditional Tibetan scarves to the portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, followed by the administration of the oath of office, the serving of dresil (sweetened rice), and butter tea.

The event concluded with members of the Standing Committee presenting traditional Tibetan scarves to congratulate the new parliamentarian.

Brief Biography

Tashi Dhondup was born on 15 July 1972 in Mustang, Nepal, to his late father, Serta Tashi Dawa, and mother, Tsering Pema. After graduating in 1989, he worked in various positions at Hotel Mount Annapurna (P) Ltd., Pokhara, from 1990 to 2000. In 2000, he was transferred by the Department of Finance, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), to Hotel Tibet International (P) Ltd., Kathmandu, as Deputy General Manager, serving from 2000 to 2003. Within a year, he was promoted to General Manager. He later worked at Hotel Gangjong (P) Ltd. from 2003 to 2006 and served as General Manager of Hotel Manang (P) Ltd. from 2006 to 2008.

From 1998 to 2000, he served as an Executive Member of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress, Jampaling, Pokhara. He also worked as the administrator of Tsering Elders Home in Kathmandu for eight years. Additionally, he served as an Executive Member of the 15th and 16th Central Domey Association in Dharamshala and as Vice President of the Regional Domey Association, Nepal, for six consecutive terms.

Mr. Dhondup was previously elected to the 15th, 16th, and 17th Tibetan Parliaments-in-Exile. He currently serves as a member of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile representing Domey Province.

– Report filed by Tibetan Parliamentary Secretariat