Dharamshala: 65 participants from 30 different regional chapters of the exiled Women's group from India and Nepal today have converged in Dharamshala for a two-day intensive training to organize the first-ever ‘next Tibetan Prime minister Mass Mock Election' slated for July 6, 2010.
The intensive training process would focus on processes and issues related to training Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) executives to successfully organize the Mass Mock Election, which would have the Tibetan people come out and choose a Tibetan prime minister of their choice.
A significant feature of this project that runs for a year is that it inculcates direct approach to education for all the TWA chapters in India, Nepal and Bhutan, as well as in overseas branches. The organization executives and staff will tour all the regional chapters in India, Nepal and Bhutan whereas the overseas non-standing its executive members will tour the overseas chapters to educate the electorate about the importance of this election and to convince them to exercise their franchise and their democratic right to elect their political leaders. This would take place from the July of 2010 to February next year (2011).
To ensure a free and fair election, the exiled women's organization would not endorse any candidate nor reproduce any nomination list presently being circulated. The voters therefore would be free to vote for a candidate of their choice, after the election the executive members of regional chapters of the organization would bring the ballots to the 10th Working Committee Meeting of TWA that is scheduled to be held in Manali (Himachal Pradesh) from July 16 to 22 2010, for an aggregate and transparent counting process .
The central committee to the women group would then carefully analyze the voter turnout during the July 6 Mock Election and then produce a detailed report that breaks down the result of voter participation, this report would signify the implications for the upcoming primary and final election of the next Tibetan Prime Minister. The report would also profile all the names of the candidates elected by the voters of the July 6 Mock Election.
As a chance for all the candidates to effectively affirm their candidacy, the group would convene a televised debate that would provide the candidates a platform to affirm their candidacy and an opportunity for an intellectually stimulating discussion about the issues and the concern that confront the Tibetan people.
In a press release, the Tibetan women's group said that it was "resolute about the fact that freedom of expression and the franchise of the ballot are new expressions of the Tibetan practice of non-violence, and this election furthers our self determination and freedom in exile."the association also called for Tibetans around the world to engage educate and participate in the election of our future leaders. This mock election is but an attempt to engage the Tibetan public and bring them into the fold of successful democratic countries, as envisioned by His Holiness The Dalai Lama in 2000.
