Election Commission Warns Nechung Oracle Translator Over Political Remarks, Issues Multiple Warnings

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 28 Jan: The Election Commission(EC) of the Central Tibetan Administration, commonly referred to as the Tibetan government in exile, issued a warning letter to Dorjee, translator of the Nechung Oracle, for violating electoral rules and guidelines by making numerous political remarks in a clarification video with Tibet Radio regarding the oracle’s pronouncements on two Gelug spokespersons. The commission deemed the translator’s remarks as a risk to social unrest and the ongoing electoral process. 

In its press briefing today at the Lhakpa Tsering hall, the EC announced that it has sent a warning letter to Dorjee for his political remarks that digressed from the interpretation of the oracle’s pronouncement, which alleges that two unnamed Gelug spokespersons defamed the 14th Dalai Lama, among other allegations.

The EC did not mention any specific electoral rules or guidelines as having been violated by the translator, nor did it mention any punitive measures. The EC later explained that this was because no formal complaint had been filed.

Election Commissioner Losang Yeshi stated that it is challenging for the EC to take direct action without a formal complaint, particularly given the large number of similar cases. He further noted that the incumbent election commissioners are under intense public scrutiny, and any voluntary action taken by the EC could be misconstrued as bias, placing the commission in a difficult position and potentially risking fueling existing unrest.

In this context, the action taken by the Drepung Lachi administration, following the translator’s confirmation in his clarification video that the two unnamed Gelug spokespersons were the two Gelug MPs, will not face any legal intervention, as Yeshi stated that the EC does not interfere in internal monastic affairs resolved through common consensus within the monastery.

He noted that the EC had taken action against Ngawang Lodroe, known as Dr Tara Tibet Medicine on YouTube, for violating Article 24, Clauses 3 and 11 of the electoral rules by defaming MP Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar through his YouTube channel. As a punitive measure, Ngawang’s voting and candidacy rights were suspended for eight years, a decision the Election Commission stated was made following the filing of an official complaint by the MP herself.

Additionally, the EC announced that Sikyong candidate Kelsang Dorjee Aukatsang had been sent a warning letter on 16 December, cautioning him about remarks made during his official candidacy announcement. In his speech, Kaydor stated that every human being has faults, including the Dalai Lama, whose legacy he acknowledged as incomparable. He added that, no matter how competent, educated, or accomplished a person may be, their abilities cannot be compared with the combined potential of many people.

Following public debate over his remarks, the EC deemed the suggestion that the Dalai Lama could be wrong as potentially in violation of the Tibetan Charter and electoral rules. Kaydor later issued a public apology, stating that his comment had been a slip of the tongue and clarifying that he had meant to say that everyone has faults except the Dalai Lama. He explained that the slip occurred during his interview in Tibetan, while maintaining that his English-language interview conducted by Phayul conveyed his intended meaning correctly.

The EC further announced several other measures taken to ensure the smooth and lawful conduct of the 2026 Tibetan general election. These include postponing conferences organised by the CTA’s security department, as well as those by independent groups, until after the final election, among other measures.

However, the bases for the allegations in the oracle pronouncement against the two unnamed Gelug spokespersons, later identified as the two MPs, who went to Drepung Lachi as required to address the monastery’s demands formally and offered an apology and pledge in accordance with the oracle, remain unaddressed even as the two MPs have explicitly denied defaming the Dalai Lama. 

The oracle accuses two Gelug spokesmen of defaming the Dalai Lama, prioritising regional politics over the common good, and engaging in misconduct influenced by evil spirits.

The EC stated that legal intervention regarding the Nechung oracle is beyond its scope.