DHARAMSHALA: Mr. Sonam Choephel Shosur, the Chief Election Commissioner today called on Tibetans worldwide to exercise their democratic rights of voting by participating in the upcoming preliminary election during an exclusive interview to TTV and Tibet.net.
The preliminary election for Sikyong and members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile is scheduled for Sunday, 18 October 2015.
The Election Commissioner urged the public to abide by the rules and regulations set out by the election commission. He also explained the number of candidates that a voter can vote for during the election. “A ballot paper which has exceeded the allotted number would be automatically considered null and void,” he said.
A voter can vote for one candidate for Sikyong, while for the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, a layperson can select up to 10 candidates (including two women) from their constituency. For a member of the clergy, a voter can select two candidates representing their religious tradition in addition to the 10 candidates (including two women) from their constituency.
Tibetans residing in North America and Europe can vote for two candidates each to represent their constituency. Tibetans residing in Australia, New Zealand and Asia (excluding India, Nepal and Bhutan) can vote for one candidate to represent the Australasia constituency.
The preliminary election will determine the candidates for Sikyong and members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament for the final election which will be held on 20 March 2016.
