By Tenzin Dharpo
DHARAMSHALA, Dec. 31: Despite the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic, polling stations around the world are gearing up for the 2021 Tibetan general elections in preparation for the January 3 voting day.
Here in India, the largest base of the exile Tibetan set up, the regional Election Commission staffs were seen taking down campaign posters and materials from public spaces in line with the electoral rule that mandates halt on all campaign efforts by candidates of both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections.
While polling stations are being prepared, the larger question looms of what safety and preventive measures the center has mandated to curb spiking infection rates. A reliable senior official from the Election Commission told Phayul, “While the cause for concern is extraordinary, the preventive measures are common. Social distancing, wearing preventive masks, sanitizing the polling premises and basic awareness is the biggest tool to combat the disease. We have sent out directives to all regional ECs across the world and it is up to them to observe these measures.”
Dharamshala Settlement Officer and head of the Dhasa regional EC Kunga Tsering said that there are “no special preparations except for the guidelines issued by the Indian government as well as the CTA”. There are 16 polling stations in Dharamshala where the exile Tibetan government is based.
One of the largest Tibetan settlement in exile, Sonamling in Ladakh also has 15 polling stations; 9 in Changdang inhabited by nomadic herders near the Tibetan border and 6 in Leh city where the settlement is based. “In view of the pandemic, we have increased the number of polling stations in Changdang so that people do not have to travel far in the cold of the winter and acquired all legal nods from the district authorities to smoothen the operations,” Chief representative officer Tsetan Wangchuk told Phayul.
Despite unprecedented threats of the virus, the CRO expressed hope that despite lower voter registration, there will be more voter turnout compared to the 2016 elections. “Since people have come home from different places because of the pandemic, I feel they will turn out in numbers to vote come Sunday,” he said.
In contrast, one of the smallest Tibetan settlements in Dalhousie with just one polling booths and 280 registered voters have also laid down strict Covid-19 preventive measures. Days in advance, the Settlement Officer has overseen a sensitization drive on how to observe preventive measures ahead of the all important voting day on Sunday.
The Tibetan Election Commission announced the preliminary election will be held on Jan 3, 2021 and the final election on Apr 11, 2021.
