New Delhi, Sep 1 : The Tibetan issue in contemporary history originates from the occupation of Tibet by the People's Republic of China in 1951. The escape of the XIV Dalai Lama in 1959, alongside his followers, marked the beginning of what is referred to as the Tibetan diaspora.

Currently, approximately 150,000 Tibetans in exile are dispersed globally, yearning for a return to their homeland, liberated from Chinese control. Despite their status as exiles, the Tibetan diaspora operates under a democratic framework known as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), headquartered in Dharamshala, India.

Since relocating there, the XIV Dalai Lama, who served as both the political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan community until his retirement in 2011, has been instrumental in fostering the democratic process through the CTA.

Notably, the 2nd of September commemorates the 64th anniversary of the establishment of this democratic system, referred to in Tibetan as Mangsto Duchen.

The democratisation of the Tibetan administration was catalysed by the XIV Dalai Lama's pivotal visit to Bodh Gaya, India, in 1960, where he outlined a detailed plan for a popularly elected Tibetan parliament. This marked the beginning of an active democratisation process that culminated in the promulgation of the 1963 Tibetan-Government-in-Exile (TGiE) Constitution by the XIV Dalai Lama.

The Constitution transformed the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) into a legislative body. The current phase of the Central Tibetan Administration's (CTA) democratic system emerged in the 1990s, following the Dalai Lama's 1991 Charter for Tibetan Exiles.

The Charter declared the TGiE as "an entity having its basis in a fundamental legal document and which was in keeping with the modern democratic system." It established three pillars of CTA democracy: the popularly and democratically elected TPiE as the legislative body, the Kashag (Cabinet) as the executive body, and the Tibetan Supreme Judiciary Commission as the judicial body.

The CTA's polity, encompassing both exiled Tibetans and the future Tibet, is governed by principles of peace, non-violence, freedom, co-existence, social welfare, democracy, and self-government.

The process of democratisation within the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) experienced significant developments in 2001 when Kalon Tripa, the head of the CTA’s Cabinet, was elected directly by the Tibetan community for the first time.

Following the approval of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), the Kalon Tripa has the authority to appoint his Cabinet. The TPiE convenes biannually and consists of 45 representatives from various regions: ten from each of the traditional provinces of Tibet—Dhotoe, Dhomey, and U-Tsang; two from each of the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism; two from North America and Europe; and one each from Australia and Asia (excluding India, Bhutan, and Nepal).

Subsequent to the XIV Dalai Lama’s political retirement in 2011, the Kalon Tripa was renamed Sikyong, taking on the role of the political leader, akin to a President. The Kashag (Cabinet) also transitioned to a system of direct popular elections every five years.