Tibetan exiles elected a Harvard academic Wednesday as their new prime minister, who will face the daunting task of assuming the political duties of a global icon, the Dalai Lama.
Lobsang Sangay, a 43-year-old international law expert, has never lived in or visited Tibet and represents a major shift from the historic dominance of Tibetan politics by older religious figures.
His election followed the Dalai Lama’s announcement last month that he would retire as the Tibetan movement’s political leader, transferring his powers to the newly-elected head of the government-in-exile.
Although the Dalai Lama, 75, will retain the more significant role of spiritual leader as well as his hold on major policy-making decisions, the transition will make Sangay a far more prominent figure than his predecessor.
Sangay has publicly backed the Dalai Lama’s policy of seeking “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet under Chinese rule, but his age and former membership of the pro-independence Tibetan Youth Congress has fuelled speculation that he may harbour a more radical agenda.
In an interview with AFP in the Indian hill town of Dharamshala last month, Sangay acknowledged that the Dalai Lama was irreplaceable but added that there was a hunger in the Tibetan community to “see the younger generation taking over the leadership”. More than 49,000 exiled Tibetans in India and overseas took part in the election and Sangay easily beat the two other candidates, securing 55 percent of the vote.
In a statement issued from the United States, he was quick to make his loyalties clear, attributing his victory to the democratic, “far-sighted policies” of the Dalai Lama.