TPIE Elects Two Additional Election Commissioners 

By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 18 September: Former MP Tsering Youdon and former Education Department Secretary Nangsa Choedon were elected as the two Additional Election Commissioners on the final day of the 10th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, setting the stage for the 2026 Tibetan general election.

Tsering Youdon secured 30 votes against 11 for Karma Lekshey, Director of the Tibetan Center for Conflict Resolution, in Category A. Nangsa Choedon won with 32 votes against 11 for the CTA’s former Chief Planning Officer, Dr Kuncok Tsundue, in Category B. 

They were elected as per sub clause (a) of clause (2) of Article (97) as enshrined in the Charter of Tibetans in Exile. The aforementioned article states that “As and when the Sikyong and the Tibetan Parliament elections are to be held, two Additional Election Commissioners shall be required; they will serve for the period from the announcement of the start of the election process until the declaration of the final voting results.”

In its August announcement, the Election Commission had called for the appointment of two additional commissioners and requested that they assume office from 1 October 2025. Detailed schedules for the preliminary and final election dates will be finalized and publicly announced thereafter.

Former MP Tsering Youdon served from 1983 to 1991 in various roles under the MYRADA Plan, including program coordinator, computer operator, and donor relations officer. From 1992 to 2001, she worked as a Project Officer at the Tibetan Cooperative Society in Hunsur Tibetan Settlement. She was a member of the Regional Election Committee from 1991 to 1994 and again from 1998 to 2005. Between 1995 and 1997, she served as President of the Regional Women’s Association. From 2000 to 2002, she was President of the Regional Parents’ Association and concurrently Treasurer of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress. In April 2005, she was elected President of the Tibetan Cooperative Society in Hunsur, and in June 2006, she was elected as a member of the 14th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile from the Doeguling constituency.

CTA’s former former Education Department Secretary Nangsa Choedon was born on 1 July 1954 in Kyidong, Tibet, and escaped to India at the age of four. She received her early education in Mussoorie and completed her schooling in 1974, followed by a graduation in the arts stream from Punjab University. On 15 October 1977, she joined the Tibetan Government in exile as a Junior Clerk and was appointed Office Secretary at the Paonta Cholsum Settlement Office. Over the years, she held various administrative roles within the Tibetan Administration, including positions in the Department of Education, records management, and strategic planning. Between 1995 and 1999, she furthered her studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in the USA, focusing on international governance. On 17 June 2014, she was appointed as the Representative of Pretoria, South Africa, and on 16 January 2017, she became Secretary of the Department of Education, serving in that role until her retirement on 1 July 2017.

The incumbent CTA President Penpa Tsering, the political head of the Tibetan people, will complete his first term in office in May 2026. 

The 2026 Tibetan general elections will see Tibetans in exile elect their new CTA President (Sikyong) and members of the 18th TPiE.