DHARMSALA, India – Tibetans across the world have begun voting for a new leader to take up the resistance against Chinese rule over their Himalayan homeland, as the Dalai Lama insists he is giving up politics.
The Tibetan parliament-in-exile, meanwhile, is discussing constitutional changes to meet the Dalai Lama's request that the prime minister become head of government.
The shift in power marks a major change for the Tibetan community, which for decades has looked to the Dalai Lama for spiritual and political guidance against the rule of China's Communist authorities in Tibet.
The 76-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has said he will continue his role as Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader.
Some 85,000 registered Tibetans in exile are eligible to vote in the monthlong election.
