Sawt Falasteen - Tibet-in-exile government leader sworn in

The India-based Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) -- condemned by China as "nothing but a separatist political group" -- is a key institution for the exiles, especially after the Dalai Lama handed over political power in 2011.

Elections took place in February and April in 27 countries -- but not China.

The government's "sikyong", or leader, Penpa Tsering, was elected for a second term, after taking 61 percent in the preliminary round -- a high enough threshold to win outright.

Tsering said Wednesday that he did not seek full independence for Tibet, but rather backed the Dalai Lama's long-standing "Middle Way" policy seeking autonomy and a "resolution to the Sino-Tibet conflict through non-violence, dialogue and mutual benefit".

Groups of traditional dancers performed, as crowds including red robed monks and nuns watched the ceremony in India's northern hilltown of Dharamshala.

- 'Enduring bond' -

"We ... urge all Tibetans to remember our shared identity as political exiles, set aside differences, foster unity, and fulfil our individual responsibilities towards the common cause of Tibet," Tsering said after took the oath of office in front of justice officials, and watched by the Dalai Lama.

"Despite the Chinese government's systematic efforts to undermine Tibetan national identity, China cannot weaken the Tibetan people's enduring bond with their homeland."

The 91,000 registered voters include Buddhist monks in the high Himalayas, political exiles in South Asia's megacities and refugees in Australia, Europe and North America.

The five-year parliament, which sits twice a year, has 45 members from across the world: 30 representing three traditional provinces, 10 representing five religious traditions and five representing the diaspora.

It functions as a representative body for an estimated 150,000 Tibetans living in exile worldwide.

- 'Struggle for truth' -

Tsering thanked host India, as well as the United States, for support.

"I also take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to the government and people of India, the United States and all our supporters," he said. "Your support remains key to the effective continuation of our struggle for truth."

Exiled voters represent only a fraction of ethnic Tibetans -- whom the CTA estimates at six million worldwide, compared with more than seven million China counted in its 2020 census.

Beijing, which in 1950 sent troops to the vast high-altitude plateau it describes as an integral part of China, calls the exiled government an "illegal organisation that completely violates the Chinese constitution and laws".

The 90-year-old Dalai Lama, based in India since fleeing the Tibetan capital Lhasa after Chinese troops crushed an uprising in 1959, insists he has many more years to live.

He smiled and waved as the ceremony progressed.

But supporters of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate are acutely aware that self-declared atheist and Communist China said last year that it must approve the Buddhist leader's eventual successor.

The Dalai Lama says only his India-based office has that right.

Tibetan Buddhists believe he is the 14th reincarnation of a spiritual leader first born in 1391.

"We remain committed to countering disinformation and misleading narratives propagated by the Chinese government regarding His Holiness the Dalai Lama's reincarnation," Tsering added.

F.Qawasmeh--SF-PST