Dharamshala — The Election Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) announced the final candidates for the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, on Wednesday. The Commission announced that candidates for the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile can begin their campaign activities from March 18, 2026 and the campaign period should end at 5:00 PM on April 23, 2026.
Chief Election Commissioner Lobsang Yeshi, Additional Election Commissioner Tsering Youdon and Additional Election Commissioner Nangsa Choedon of Election Commission of Central Tibetan Administration held a press conference at the Lhakpa Tsering Hall, Department of Information and International Relations, CTA, Gangkyi, Dharamshala, on March 18, 2026, to announce the final candidates for the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
The Chief Election Commissioner of the Central Election Commission, Lobsang Yeshi, stated that according to Section 49(3)(a) of the Election Rules, “No later than 20 days before the actual election, the Central Election Commission must publish a list of candidates for each constituency, with twice the number of candidates as the allocated seats, along with a brief history, photograph, and election symbol for each candidate. This list must be finalized and publicly announced.” As per this provision, a total of 20 candidates have been finalized for the U-Tsang constituency, 20 for the Dhoto with 1 self-nominated candidate for the Dhoto, 20 for the Dhomay, 4 candidates from each of the five religious traditions, 4 candidates from Europe and Africa with 1 self-nominated candidate, 4 candidates from North and South America with 1 self-nominated candidate, and 2 candidates from Asia and Oceania (excluding India, Nepal, and Bhutan). These candidates have been finalized in accordance with the rules.
Chief Election Commissioner Lobsang Yeshi said that candidates for the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile can begin their campaign activities from March 18, 2026 and the campaign period should end at 5:00 PM on April 23, 2026.
The Chief Election Commissioner stated, "According to the schedule, on April 26, 2026, primary elections will be held in all Tibetan settlements. I urge the general public to participate in the election. During the final voting, it is necessary to mark the ballot correctly with the number assigned to the candidate as listed, without using check marks or crosses. As per the provisions of Article 34(2) of the Election Regulations, if any of the following issues arise during the final voting, such as the dissemination of candidate photos on social media, ballots with no marks, marks exceeding the number, marks that make it difficult to identify the candidate, names of candidates not listed on the ballot, or suspicious ballots that are not genuine, the ballot will be invalidated. Please be careful about this."
Chief Election Commissioner said, "As stipulated under Article 19(1) of the Election Rules and Regulations, voters with visual impairments or upper limb disabilities are permitted to receive assistance from a companion within the polling booth."
The Election Commissioner also urged all eligible Tibetans to participate in the main election, particularly encouraging youth, including college students, to take an active role, emphasising their significance in the continuity of the Tibetan cause.
The Chief Commissioner responded to the questions of the journalists. At that time, when TPI reporter asked about how many votes were invalidated during the preliminary election, the Chief Election Commissioner said that around 1,800 votes were became invalidated during this year's preliminary election.
