I'm posting this for the record, as the news came the day the Holy Father's book came out, and I have no time to look into it farther...
Dalai Lama to give up
role as political leader
By Mark Magnier
NEW DELHI, March 10 — The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, said Thursday that he will pass the reins of political power to the elected prime minister of the self-proclaimed Tibetan government in exile.
The announcement formalizes an approach the Tibetan leader has been edging toward for years, hoping to prevent a political vacuum after his death and ensure an effective response to Chinese crackdowns and Beijing's increasingly effective use of diplomatic pressure.
But the Dalai Lama, 75, made a point of saying he wasn't retiring, and his global status and reputation ensure that he will continue to play a major role in Tibetan affairs.
The Dalai Lama's decision will be presented Monday to the parliament in exile, which convenes in the northern Indian town of Dharamsala.
"As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power," the Dalai Lama said in a statement Thursday. "Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect."
Lobsang Tenzin, 71, also known as Samdhong Rinpoche, steps down this month after serving for the past decade as prime minister in exile. His replacement will be elected March 20 from among three candidates: Lobsang Sangey, 42, a Harvard Law fellow; Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, 63, a Tibetan studies fellow at Stanford University; and Tashi Wangdi, 63, a civil servant with the government-in-exile, with Sangey expected to win.
The Dalai Lama's announcement comes as the Chinese government tightens its grip on the restive Tibetan plateau, which saw a major uprising in March 2008. Recent pro-democracy demonstrations in the Middle East and North Africa have further unnerved the Communist Party in Beijing, analysts said.
China responded skeptically to the announcement. "He has often talked about retirement in the past few years," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters Thursday in Beijing. "I think these are his tricks to deceive the international community."
At issue is whether future Tibetan leaders are chosen by China or Dharamsala, said Rukmani Gupta, a research fellow at New Delhi's Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies.
Recent attempts by Beijing to influence the succession by controlling the Karmapa Lama and the Panchen Lama, among Tibetan Buddhism's most senior positions, were unsuccessful.