– Shadow of Dalai Lama –
Tsering was born in India and has served in the Tibetan parliament-in-exile based in Dharamsala for 10 years, where he is currently the speaker.
Whoever prevails can expect to remain in the shadow of the Dalai Lama, a Nobel peace laureate who remains the most potent rallying point for Tibetans, both in exile and in their homeland.
The Himalayan hill town has been home to him and thousands of Tibetan refugees since he fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
Despite the Dalai Lama’s status, many exiles said it was important to vote.
“The election is really important. It is a basic right of a citizen to vote and we take this opportunity as a blessing,” said Sonam, a 22-year-old Tibetan student in Nepal who did not give her full name.
She expressed hope the Nepal government would allow voting to go ahead after authorities confiscated ballot boxes in 2011, apparently under pressure from neighbouring China.
China has widely been seen as waiting for the Dalai Lama’s death, believing that the movement for Tibetan rights will not survive without its charismatic and world-famous leader.
The globe-trotting Buddhist monk raised concern among his millions of followers last year when he scrapped a tour of the United States for health reasons.
Asked about Sunday’s election, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Beijing had never recognised the government-in-exile and hoped other countries “will not provide any stage for Tibetan separatist activities”.
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