DHARAMSALA – Tibet’s parliament-in-exile has formed a committee to hand over political power from the Dalai Lama, in a signal his devolution of power will get approval despite opposition from lawmakers.
The 75-year-old Dalai Lama, the global face of the Tibetan exiled movement, shocked many Tibetans by announcing he would hand over power, seen as transforming the government-in-exile into a more assertive body in the face of Chinese pressure.
The move comes a day after 83,000 exiled Tibetans across the world voted to elect a new leader. Two of the main contenders have hinted they could move beyond the Dalai Lama’s “middle way”, the policy of negotiating some autonomy from China.
“We have set a small committee to plan how to deal with the devolution of power. The committee will meet this afternoon, and the honorable speaker has instructed the parliament to submit a report,” said Samdhong Rinpoche, Tibetan prime minister-in-exile.
Many lawmakers fear a diminished presence for the Dalai Lama, whose trademark smile has brought Hollywood stars and the international spotlight to the Tibetan movement based in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala.
