The Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration, also known as the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, is the unicameral legislative organ of the Central Tibetan Administration

Central Tibetan Administration

The Central Tibetan Administration , is an organisation based in India with the stated goals of "rehabilitating Tibetan refugees and restoring freedom and happiness in Tibet". It was established by the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959 shortly after his exile from Tibet...

. Established and based in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, it was founded in 1960, and was most recently elected to a 14th 5-year term from 2006-2011. The first election of the Parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration took place on 2 September 1960, the anniversary of which is observed by the Tibetan exile community as Democracy Day.

It consists of anywhere between 43 to 47 members, including:

• two delegates from the Tibetan diaspora in Europe
• two delegates from the Tibetan diaspora in North America (an amendment in September 2010 raised the number to two from one)
• ten delegates from each one of the three traditional provinces of Tibet
• two members each from the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and the traditional Bon school
• one to three members appointed by the Dalai Lama
  Dalai Lama
  The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
  
   with distinction in culture, sciences or community services

Election to the Parliament is open to Tibetans who are at least 25 years old, and the minimum voting age is 18. There are no political parties

Nonpartisan

In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....

 in the elections. Sessions are held twice every year between six month intervals. A standing committee of 12 members is in place when the Parliament is not in session, consisting of two members from each traditional region, one member from each religious denomination, and one member who is directly nominated by the Dalai Lama.

The Parliament also helps with organization of Local Parliaments established in 38 major Tibetan communities with no less than 160 Tibetans.

List of members

Number (and position)	Member	Constituency or tradition
1 (Speaker)	Penpa Tsering	Amdo Amdo Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
2 (Deputy Speaker)	Dolma Gyari	Kham Kham Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
3	Sonam Tenphel	Nyingma Nyingma The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism . "Nyingma" literally means "ancient," and is often referred to as Nga'gyur or the "old school" because it is founded on the first translations of Buddhist scriptures from Sanskrit into Tibetan, in the eighth century...  Tradition
4	Bhutuk Gyari	""
5	Karma Sherab Tharchin	Kagyu Kagyu The Kagyu, Kagyupa, or Kagyud school, also known as the "Oral Lineage" or Whispered Transmission school, is today regarded as one of six main schools of Himalayan or Tibetan Buddhism, the other five being the Nyingma, Sakya, Jonang, Bon and Gelug...  Tradition
6	Sonam Damdul	""
7	Pema Jungney	Sakya Sakya The Sakya school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug...  Tradition
8	Tseringpo	"
9	Geshe Thubten Phelgye Geshe Thubten Phelgye Geshe Thubten Phelgye is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who is known for promoting vegetarianism and humane treatment of animals, and for his work as a peace activist. Geshe Pelgye represents the Gelug tradition in the Tibetan Parliament in Exile....	Gelug Gelug The Gelug or Gelug-pa , also known as the Yellow Hat sect, is a school of Buddhism founded by Je Tsongkhapa , a philosopher and Tibetan religious leader...  Tradition
10	Beri Jigme Wangyal	"
11	Geshe Monlam Tharchin	Bön  Tradition
12	Geshe Yungdung Gyaltsen	"
13	Tsetan Norbu	U-Tsang
14	Dolma Tsering	"
15	Ngawang Lhamo	"
16	Karma Yeshi	"
17	Dawa Tsering	"
18	Gyalnor Tsewang	"
19	Yeshi Phuntsok	"
20	Tsering Dolma	"
21	Dawa Phunkyi	"
22	Karma Choephel	"
23	Juchen Kunchok	Kham Kham Kham , is a historical region covering a land area largely divided between present-day Tibetan Autonomous Region and Sichuan province, with smaller portions located within Qinghai, Gansu and Yunnan provinces of China. During the Republic of China's rule over mainland China , most of the region was...
24	Serta Tsultrim	"
25	Tulku Ugyen Topgyal Orgyen Tobgyal Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche, also called Tulku Ugyen Topgyal, is a Tibetan Buddhist lama who was born in Kham in Eastern Tibet in 1951, living in exile in india.- Life :...	"
26	Sonam Topgyal	"
27	Dewatsang Dorjee Wangdue	"
28	Youdon Ukartsang	"
29	Choekyong Wangchuk	"
30	Kelsang Gyaltsen	"
31	Tsultrim Tenzin	"
32	Gyalrong Dawa Tsering	Amdo Amdo Amdo is one of the three traditional regions of Tibet, the other two being Ü-Tsang and Kham; it is also the birth place of the 14th Dalai Lama. Amdo encompasses a large area from the Machu River to the Drichu river . While culturally and ethnically a Tibetan area, Amdo has been administered by a...
33	Chabdak Lhamo Kyab	"
34	Tenzin Khedup	"
35	Tenzin Gonpo	"
36	Kirti Dolkar Lhamo	"
37	Phegye Dolma Tsomo	"
38	Tsering Youdon	"
39	Serta Tsultrim Woeser	"
40	Yeshi Dolma	"
41	Sonam Tsering Frasi	Europe
42	Monkhar Sonam Phuntsok	"
43	Tenzin Choedhen	America

External links

• Legislature: The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile
• The Tibetan Parliament in Exile (Tibetan Parliamentary & Policy Research Centre)