The exiled Dalai Lama announced on Thursday that he planned to formally step down as political leader of the Tibetan government in exile.
“As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power,” the Dalai Lama said in a prepared speech. “Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect.”
The proposal needs to be formally approved by the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, based in India.
The Dalai Lama has long seen himself as “semi-retired” from political leadership with an elected prime minister already in place in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala. He remains Tibet’s spiritual leader.
The Dalai Lama fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. He now lives in exile in India and advocates “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet within China.
Beijing regards him as a dangerous separatist responsible for stirring up unrest in Tibet. — Reuters