Tsering Dolma, Sonam Wangmo sworn in as new member of 16th TPIE
DHARAMSALA, 3 May: Tsering Dolma and Sonam Wangmo were sworn in as the new members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
The two new MPs were administered the oath of office by Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok at the Tibetan parliament in the presence of the standing committee members of the Parliament and the Parliamentary staff members on Monday.
Tsering Dolma from Dotoe province and Sonam Wangmo from Domey province were administered the oath in accordance with Article 57, clause (I) (II) and Article 47 of the Charter of Tibetans in Exile to replace Parliamentarians Lobsang Dhakpa and Gyari Thar who have resigned last month.
“The replacement of the Parliamentarians was made from a reserve waiting list maintained by the Central Tibetan Election Commission for the concerned constituency on the basis of the required minimum number of votes won by the candidates who did not make it to the Parliament during the last general election in 2016 and who had the highest number of votes among those in the existing reserve list,” the TPIE reported.
Though the 16th TPIE is at the tail end of its tenure, the Deputy Speaker has stated, that it is “important to conclude the 16th TPiE in great terms, which would be the true preservation of democracy.”
The newly sworn-in MPs will now join their colleagues for the additional session of the house which the Parliamentary Secretariat announced will be held for a day on 20 May. The additional session the Deputy speaker said will be held “unless the current pandemic worsens and new restrictions are not imposed.”
Lobsang Dhakpa and Gyari Thar have now become the 3rd and the 4th MPs from the 16th Tibetan parliament to have resigned from their office.
Speaker Pema Jungney and MP Lobsang Choejor also resigned in April after former Kalon Tripa Prof Samdhong Rinpoche took the Tibetan parliament to task over their impeachment of the justices of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission of the CTA.
