If I can’t make it to the final round of Sikyong’s election, will run for parliamentary election: Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok
DHARAMSALA, 30 Dec: The Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile(TPIE ) who is in the run for the soon to be held Sikyong(President) election of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, officially known as Central Tibetan Administration(CTA) has announced on Tuesday that if he fails to make it to the final round of Sikyong’s election, he will run for the 17th parliamentary elections of the Tibetans.
“My supporters urged me to run for the 2021 Sikyong’s election, similarly they also requested me to run for the parliamentary elections if couldn’t make it to the final election of Sikyong to continue to offer my services to the community,” TPIE’s Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok said.
With the election being tightly contested with many candidates in the race for the top office of the exiled Tibetans and only two candidates can qualify for the final round, to full fill the wishes of his supporters, the Deputy Speaker announced that he will run for both Sikyong and Parliamentary elections in the preliminary round of the 2021 general election of the Tibetan people.
The election rules of the Tibetans in exile allows a candidate to run for both Sikyong and Parliamentary elections in the preliminary round of elections.
The Deputy Speaker further urged Tibetans to make use of the democratic system bestowed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Highlighting his 33 years of service for the Tibetan community across every field without and bias and controversy, he urged the public to exercise their suffrage and cast their vote for him, Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok highlighted his 41 point campaign policy that he has made public and campaigned on across numerous platforms as well as his past track record of services to the community.
The Deputy Speaker’s policy campaign identifies Sino-Tibetan dialogue as the most important issue and it is at the core of his campaign policy which revolves around four major issues; successful administration, sustenance of the Tibetan movement and politics, the sustenance of Tibetan community as well as the arrangement of financial needs. These four points were further divided into 41 points.
Exile Tibetans will cast their vote for the preliminary election for Sikyong and members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament on 3 January 2021 and the final election on 11 April 2021.
After two candidates; Ragya Tenzin and Tashi Wangdue dropped out of the race, others in the run for 2021 Sikyong include former CTA Kalon Gyari Dolma and Lobsang Nyandak, Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang (Kaydor), former Speaker of TPIE Penpa Tsering and Tashi Topgyal.
