Exile Tibetans to vote on Feb 1, Apr 26 to elect new leaders for next five years

The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) announced at a press conference in Dharamshala, India, Oct 7 morning that voting for the election of the Sikyong, the executive head of the CTA, and the 45-member, 18th Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) will take place on Feb 1 and Apr 26.

The preliminary poll will be held on Feb 1. This is meant to select the lists of candidates for the election of Sikyong and members of the TPiE, for both of which the final poll will be held on Apr 26. The preliminary poll is an open election with no official lists of candidates. The 2025-26 elections will be conducted under the slogan of ‘I AM TIBET, I VOTE FOR TIBET’, signifying unity and strength of the Tibetan people.

The registration of voters will begin on Oct 8 and conclude by Nov 8. Sikyong Penpa Tsering is eligible for re-election, as this is his first term. All Tibetans aged 18 or above as on Nov 23, 2025, will be eligible to vote, if their Tibetan identity Green Book is up-to-date as of Mar 31, 2026.

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