Tibetan Democracy Day observed

The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on Tuesday commemorated the 65th anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day with tributes the Dalai Lama, crediting him for bestowing a democratic system that has sustained Tibetans in-exile for more than six decades.

The statement coincided with the year-long celebration of the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, describing him as the “apostle of love and protector of the Snowland of Tibet.” It said the Tibetan democratic system, unlike elsewhere where it came through struggle, was a unique gift granted by the spiritual leader.

Recalling Tibet’s modern political journey, the statement noted that even before leaving Lhasa in 1959 after China’s military crackdown, the Dalai Lama had initiated reforms including a reform office in 1954 and a public grievances department in 1956. After seeking asylum in India, he spearheaded the formation of the first elected Tibetan Parliament on September 2, 1960, in Bodhgaya.

Over the decades, the Dalai Lama guided the Tibetan polity through milestones such as the 1963 constitution, the 1991 Charter of Tibetans in Exile, and the direct election of the Kalon Tripa in 2001. In 2011, he devolved all temporal authority to elected leaders, ending nearly 400 years of Gaden Phodrang rule and cementing full democratic governance in exile.