The () is the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, a Tibetan exile organisation in India also known as the Tibetan government-in-exile based on the 2011 Charter of Tibetans-in-exile. The title was created in 2012 after the 14th Dalai Lama decided not to assume any political and administrative authority as the head of the Tibetan Administration for Tibetans-in-exile.
The current Sikyong is Penpa Tsering. The Sikyong is the political leader of the Kashag, part of the executive branch of the Central Tibetan Administration. This office should not be confused with the "Chairman of the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region" () appointed by the Communist government in Beijing.
The first directly elected Kalön Tripa was Lobsang Tenzin, the Samdhong Rinpoche, who was elected August 20, 2001.Donovan Roebert, Samdhong Rinpoche: Uncompromising Truth for a Compromised World (World Wisdom, 2006) (On August 20, 2001, Venerable Professor Samdhong Rinpoche was elected Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) of the Tibetan Government in Exile, receiving 84.5% of the popular exile vote.)
Before 2011, the Kalön Tripa position was subordinate to the 14th Dalai LamaThe Charter of Tibetans in-Exile, Article 20 of the Constitution of Tibet, retrieved 2010-03-19. who presided over the government in exile from its founding.The Charter of Tibetans in-Exile, Articles 19, 30, & 31 of the Constitution of Tibet, retrieved 2010-03-19. In 2011, the Dalai Lama announced that his political authority would be transferred to the Sikyong.Dean Nelson Lobsang Sangay: profile, The Telegraph, 08 Aug 2011
Kalön Tripa On September 20, 2012, the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile unanimously voted to change the title of Kalön Tripa to Sikyong in Article 19 of the Charter of the Tibetans in exile and relevant articles. The Dalai Lama had previously referred to the Kalon Tripa as Sikyong, and this usage was cited as the primary justification for the name change. According to Tibetan Review, "Sikyong" translates to "political leader". The online Dharma Dictionary translates sikyong (srid skyong) as "secular ruler; regime, regent".
Kalön Tripa Tibet
Portrait Name Term of office Dalai Lama Took office Left office Time in office 1 Tsarong Wangchuk Gyalpo 1903 1912 years13th Dalai Lama Chankhyim Trekhang Thupten Shakya 1907 1920 years Paljor Dorje Shatra 1907 1923 years 1907 1926 years 2 1926 1940 years 13th Dalai Lama14th Dalai Lama 3 Lobsang Tashi 1950 27 April 1952 years 14th Dalai Lama 1950 27 April 1952 years
Kashag Portrait Name Term of office Dalai Lama Took office Left office Time in office 1 Jangsa Tsangy 1959 1960 years 14th Dalai Lama 2 1960 1964 years 3 1965 1967 † years 4 1970 1975 years 5 1975 1980 years 6 1980 1985 years 7 1985 1990 years 8 1990 1991 years 9 Gyalo Thondup 1991 1993 years 10 Tenzin Tethong 1993 1996 years 11 Sonam Topgyal April 1997 5 September 2001 12 Lobsang Tenzin 5 September 2001 8 August 2011 13 Lobsang Sangay 8 August 2011 20 September 2012
Sikyong Portrait Name Term of office Cabinet Elected Took office Left office Time in office 1 Lobsang Sangay 20 September 2012 21 May 2021 14th cabinet 2011-12 15th cabinet 2016-17 2 Penpa Tsering 21 May 2021 Incumbent 16th cabinet 17th cabinet 2021-22
See also 2021 Central Tibetan Administration general election
References
External links Speech/transcription Penpa Tsering sworn in as the Sikyong of 16th Kashag Key note address by Dr. Lobsang Sangay, Kalon Tripa, Tibetan Government in Exile on 06 September 2011 at the VIF Seminar on Tibet
Elections Kalon Tripa election in 2011 Kalön Tripa 2011 election results