Lobsang Sangay to be sworn-in as exiled Tibetan PM tomorrow

Political leader of Tibetans-in-exile, Lobsang Sangay, will be sworn in as Prime Minister of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Himachal Pradesh's Dharamsala on Friday.

Lobsang Sangay, who has led the 150,000-odd Tibetan Diaspora since 2011, when the Dalai Lama relinquished his political power, won 57 percent of the almost 60,000 votes cast, the electoral commission announced last month in Dharamsala, where the administration is based.

Preparations for the upcoming event have already begun in the town where Tibetan spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama will be the honorary guest on Friday.

Thousands of people are expected to witness the event.

"This is important in the sense that this is second time that a political leader is being sworn after his holiness' devolution of political power," said spokesperson of Tibetan government in-exile, Tashi Phungstok on Thursday.

Phungstok said Himachal Pradesh's junior urban development minister, Sudhir Sharma, among other guests would be present during the ceremony.

While the speaker and the deputy speaker will be sworn-in on May 31, other ministers would take oath on June 01.

"Bit of excitement is there because lots of new parliament members are coming up and lots of young parliament members are coming up. So, because the people are expecting some changes of faces so, that really excites a lot of people," said an exile Tibetan activist, Tenzin Ninjey.

Sangay will head the CTA for five years. No country recognises the CTA and China has declined to talk to it.

Sangay, like the Dalai Lama and most Tibetans, backs the so-called middle way demand for autonomy within China rather than independence. But during his first term he failed to make headway in convincing the Chinese to talk.