Penpa Tsering sworn in as Sikyong of Tibetan govt-in-exile
Penpa Tsering was sworn-in as president of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the Dharamshala-based Tibetan government-in-exile, on Thursday.
Speaking on the occasion, Tsering vowed to tread the middle way to find a “mutually beneficial, negotiated, non-violent solution to the Sino-Tibet conflict.”
Tsering, 54, the second democratically-elected Sikyong (president) of the 17th Parliament-inExile of the Central Tibetan Administration, was administered the oath of office and secrecy by the Tibetan supreme justice commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo in presence of his predecessor Lobsang Sangay and spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who attended the event virtually. He was the speaker of the Parliament of the CTA for two terms between 2008 and 2016 and runner up in the Sikyong election in 2016. He had announced his candidacy for the 2021 election on September 3 last year. During the 2021 CTA general election, he secured 34,324 votes, 5,417 more than Kaydor Aukatsang (Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang) who secured the second highest number of votes.
Tsering said he will vest all his energies to find a lasting solution to the Sino-Tibet conflict and towards the welfare of the Tibetan people. Till that is done, he said the Kashag (cabinet) will represent the voices of Tibetans inside Tibet and optimise the global advocacy efforts. “We shall not dither from pointing out the gross mistakes of the Chinese government’s policies and programmes and seek to redress, withdraw and amend the wrong policies,” Tsering said. On May 21 the Chinese government had issued a white paper “Tibet since 1951, liberation, development and prosperity’. Tsering said: “All I can is say is that we are open to sending a people to verify the claims made in the white paper.” The new Sikyong said, “If and when a need arises to bring novelty in our approach in tune with the changing situation, it will be done accordance with the democratic norms.”