Exiled Tibetans vote for leaders shunned by China

DHARMSALA, India — The prime minister of the Tibetan governme ntinexile called Sunday for China to engage in dialogue on autonomy for his people’s homeland, as tens of thousands of Tibetans around the world voted for new leaders of a government that Beijing does not recognize.

Buddhist monks in crimson robes lined up along with hundreds of Tibetan men and women in schools, government buildings and the courtyard of the Tsuglakhang Temple in India’s northern city of Dharmsala, where the exiled government is based, to cast their votes for prime minister and parliament.

It was the second election since the Dalai Lama stepped down as head of the government- in- exile in 2011 to focus on his role as the Tibetans’ spiritual leader. Some 80,000 voters were registered, and results are expected next month.

Lobsang Sangay, the incumbent prime minister, arrived with his young daughter to cast his vote at a polling booth in a government building.

“The dialogue ( with China) will be the main initiative,” said Lobsang, who is running for reelection against parliamentary Speaker Penpa Tsering.

“I hope Chinese President Xi Jinping in his second term in 2017 will look at the Tibetan issue and take the initiative” to hold talks with Tibetan exiles, he said.

China says Tibet has historically been part of its territory since the mid- 13th century, and the Communist Party has governed the Himalayan region since 1951.

The Dalai Lama and his followers have been living in exile in Dharmsala since they fled Tibet after a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. China doesn’t recognize the Tibetan government inexile, and hasn’t held any dialogue with the representatives of the Dalai Lama since 2010.

Both prime minister candidates support the “middle way” approach advocated by the Dalai Lama, which calls for seeking regional autonomy under Chinese rule. Some Tibetan groups advocate independence for Tibet.