The International Campaign for Tibet welcomes the successful first round of the 2026 elections of the Central Tibetan Administration, where more than 51,000 Tibetans living outside Tibet voted in a global, decentralized election. Voters are choosing the political leader (Sikyong) and the 45 members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, showing a strong commitment to democracy despite life in exile. Incumbent leader Penpa Tsering was re-elected in the first round with over 61% of the vote.
Tibetan democracy has deep roots. The system was first introduced by 14th Dalai Lama in 1960 and has evolved into a fully elected political leadership since 2011. Today, Tibetans across nearly 30 countries vote freely for their government in exile based in Dharamsala, which includes executive, legislative and judicial branches. ICT President Tencho Gyatso called on democratic governments to support dialogue and help protect Tibetan culture and identity.
The final round of voting will take place on 26 April to elect the new parliament, with results announced in May. 91,042 voters have registered for the 2026 election cycle – 56,749 from the Indian subcontinent, and 34,293 from rest of the world. Final results will be announced by the CEC on 13 May.
Official Slogan: The CEC announced that the official slogan for the 2026 elections will be ‘I AM TIBET, I VOTE FOR TIBET,’ which the CEC said is “signifying unity and strength of the Tibetan people.”
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