Dharamsala, 8th October 2021: The newly elected members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile were sworn in at a ceremony held at the Parliament hall today in the presence of Sikyong Penpa Tsering at 11 am. In accordance with the Charter of Tibetans in exile, the newly elected Parliament members took oath or affirmation of office from the Interim Speaker, Mr. Dawa Tsering. Prior to the swearing-in ceremony, the Interim Speaker took oath from the Chief Justice Commissioner Mr. Dagpo Sonam Norbu of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission (TSJC) at 10:30 am.
Congratulating the new MPs for the successful administration of the oath/affirmation of office as per the Charter of Tibetans in exile, Mr. Dawa Tsering, the interim Speaker, in his opening remarks stated, “Following the advice of His Holiness the great 14th Dalai Lama and fulfilling the aspiration of the general public should be our prime responsibility in the coming 5 years. We should strive together for the common cause of Tibet”
The total strength of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile is 45, out of which 16 Parliament Members are new. The 45-member Tibetan Parliament is composed of 10 members each from the three traditional provinces of Tibet; two each from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the pre-Buddhist Bon religion, two each from the Tibetan communities in North America and Europe and one from the Tibetan community in Australasia and Asia (excluding India, Nepal, and Bhutan).