By Phuntsok Yangchen
DHARAMSHALA, June 24: The Tibetan Election Commission today announced Tashi Dhondup, a Tibetan resident of Nepal and a native of Golok Serta, as the winner of the vacant seat for Domed constituency in the Tibetan parliament.
Tashi had secured 57% of votes cast on June 9 this year. Out of 3986 registered voters, 1025 actually cast their ballot.
Tashi Dhondup won the election with 586 votes followed by Tsayang Gyatso, a resident of Dharamahala, a native of Golok with 317 votes and Karma Gelek, a resident of Bandhara Tibetan settlement and a native of Jhakhyung with 113 votes.
Dhondup will be the newest member of 15th Tibetan Parliament.
Resignation last year by a Domed MP Kirti Dolkar Lhamo necessitated the bi-election, as there were no standby candidates with the required percentage of votes.
The election had its own share of controversies as one of the contenders, Lukar Jam, notorious for his stand of independence for Tibet, as opposed to the Tibetan government’s Middle Way Approach, withdrew saying the election was unfair in the first place. Lukar was the next in waiting but had not secured 33% of votes.
Lukar got the second highest votes in the preliminary round held earlier this year.
The 15th Tibetan parliament had earlier passed a bill that nullifies the requirement of 33 percent of votes in order to save financial burden on the Tibetan exile government’s Exchequer. However, the bill, the Tibetan parliament interpreted, shall come into actual implementation for the 16th parliament onwards and will not include the election having taken place before signing of the bill by Sikyong (Tibetan PM).
Lukar argues that the amendment to the Tibetan charter, which waived the 33% requirement, should have been effective the day it was signed by the Tibetan PM Lobsang Sangay.
Lukar says that there is no gestation period between signing of the amendment bill and its implementation. Supporters of Lukar say there has been a deliberate ploy to keep someone critical of the Tibetan government’s Middle Way Approach away from the exile lawmaking body.
