Since the country of Tibet was annexed by China in 1949, 200,000 exiled Tibetans had been living outside of their sovereign country, with no legitimate governing body. In 2012, this changed, when His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama established the “Sikyong” position. Sikyong would serve as political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), the unicameral parliament (a legislative system with one chamber) of the Tibetan government-in-exile. So far, only two people have held this position: Lobsang Sangay, (14-15th Cabinet) and Penpa Tsering (16th Cabinet). In 2026, Tibetan people across the globe voted to elect Tsering as the next Sikyong, over the next strongest candidate Kaydor Aukatsang. However, in a time of simultaneous fragility and newfound democratic strength for Tibetans, Kaydor Aukatsang remains to have been the best candidate to serve the Tibetan people.
The Sikyong resides in Dharamsala, India, and represents 200,000 free Tibetan people living in exile across the globe as well as eight million Tibetans living under Chinese rule. 3,000 Tibetans live in the Bay Area, mostly concentrated in Berkeley, Richmond, and El Cerrito. Although a small percentage of the global exiled Tibetan population, the Bay Area Tibetan community stands as one of the strongest and most influential in Tibetan advocacy and during the Sikyong elections.
Aukatsang has a long history of collaboration with the Bay Area Tibetan community. In 2003, Aukatsang worked with the University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business and Haas alumni Sonam Thunden to renovate the Tibetan Association of Northern California, establishing the Sunday School Language Immersion Program for young Tibetans. In his proposed policy, he aimed for a focus on investment and financial resilience within the emerging government. He campaigned with a goal to “build unity, empower the CTA, and advance Tibet’s rightful cause on the world stage.”
Aukatsang has extensive experience in the Tibetan government that made him qualified for the Sikyong position, having served as one of Sangay’s closest aides. Additionally, Aukatsang was previously the North American Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, representing the spiritual leader in 23 countries.
Aukatsang also planned on reforming the bureaucracy of the Tibetan government-in-exile. Managing a government that spans the globe and is not attached to a sovereign country can be difficult — and with only 14 years of precedent, it’s understandable that the CTA is still flawed. However, there are still logistical problems with the Sikyong election system, including voter disenfranchisement. Every Tibetan outside Tibet must own a “green-book” to be considered a “legitimate citizen living in exile.” Having one of these books is necessary to vote, but requires a yearly fee of $100. In years with no elections, there is little incentive to pay. But when elections come around, Tibetans are forced to pay excessive late fees if they wish to vote. One Berkeley Tibetan member of the Tibetan Association of Northern California, Phuntsok Tseten, was forced to pay $2,000 for his family just in order to vote and participate in elections. This high expense proves to be an extremely high barrier for Tibetans trying to get involved in politics and elections, and leads to low voter turnout of only 30 percent. In fact, in the Bay Area, only around one third of eligible Tibetans voted during the 2026 elections on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Aukatsang sought to tackle this issue directly. He intended to continue “amnesty programs” to benefit low-income Tibetan families, which will help with green-book fees. This is especially noteworthy since high voter disenfranchisement occurred this election when Aukatsang lost, raising the question of how future elections may be held.
Overall, Aukatsang’s policy focused on the unity of the Tibetan people across the globe. As one of the few exiled governments in the world, global empowerment is crucial, especially during the ongoing freedom struggle Tibetans endure every day. By having expertise in Tibetan culture from the Bay Area to India, Aukatsang proved that he was the most well-equipped candidate to lead the Tibetan government in a new direction.