Tibetan leader Dalai Lama announces retirement from active politics

Mangaloretoday News Network

Dharmsala, March 10:  The Dalai Lama said on Thursday that he will be giving up his political role in Tibet’s government-in-exile, shifting that power to an elected representative.

The Tibetan spiritual leader, speaking on the anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in the Himalayan region, said the time has come "to devolve my formal authority to the elected leader."

He has long insisted that he wants the exile government, based in this Indian hill town, to have more power, and has previously said he wants to give up his political roles.

On Thursday, though, he laid down a timeline, saying he would propose amendments to the exile constitution during the exile parliament’s next session, which begins later this month.

Just how much change will come, though, is highly unclear.

While the elected parliament officially wields great power in the exile community, the Dalai Lama’s status means he overshadows everyone else.

The 76-year-old Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet amid the failed uprising, remains deeply revered by most Tibetans despite Beijing’s decades-long campaign to undermine his influence.

China regards him as a separatist intent on overthrowing Chinese rule over the Himalayan region.

The Dalai Lama, who has long insisted he simply wants more autonomy for the Tibetan people within China, called on Beijing to ease its rule in Tibet.

Samdhong Rinpoche, the current exile prime minister, later indicated that the political transition may not happen soon.

In the past, the parliament-in-exile has officially asked the Dalai Lama not to give up any of his powers.

The Dalai Lama said he had received repeated requests from within Tibet and outside to retain his political role, but his decision would provide a leader "elected freely by the Tibetan people."