Dharamshala May 31 – The stalemate over the election of the Tibetan Parliament’s chairperson continues today as Deputy Karma Choephel withdrew from the election.
The 43 deputies met this morning for the 5th time of voting for the election of the Chairperson of the 14th Assembly of the Tibetan People’s Deputies. But just before the voting was to begin Deputy Karma Choephel said that he was withdrawing from the nomination as opposition to his candidature was expressed in form of an anonymous letter pasted around Ghangchen Kyishong. The letter is critical of Karma Choephel’s candidature for the Chairman’s post.
Reacting to that, the other nominee Deputy Penpa Tsering said that he had no hand in the pasting of such letters and that he had never expressed his position against or for anybody in form of anonymous letters.
The Election Commissioner Tashi Phuntsok said that the EC’s duty was to conduct election and that it is the responsibility and power of the deputies to elect their chairperson. The election Commissioner said that it is now for the deputies to decide by way of a majority whether to hold a reelection or not. He said that the role of the Election Commission in the matter has come to a halt. He added that should the deputies decide to hold a reelection the Election Commission would resume its duty.
Neutrality unusually is playing a major role in the impasse over the Chairperson’s election. For all the four times that the voting took place there were 21 votes each for the two candidates and a neutral vote that held the key to the deadlock which is the first of its kind in the history of Tibetan democracy.
