| Post: | Head |
| Body: | the Central Tibetan Administration |
| Native Name: | Tibetan: སྲིད་སྐྱོང༌ |
| Insignia: | Emblem of Tibet.svg |
| Insigniacaption: | Emblem of Tibet |
| Incumbent: | Penpa Tsering |
| Incumbentsince: | 21 May 2021 |
| Department: | Central Tibetan Administration |
| Style: | His Excellency |
| Member Of: | Cabinet |
| Residence: | Dharamsala, India |
| Appointer: | Direct popular vote |
| Termlength: | Five years |
| Formation: | 1907 8 August 2011 |
The Tibetan: Sikyong is the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, a Tibetan exile organisation in India also known as the Tibetan Government-in-Exile based on the 2011 Charter of Tibetans-in-exile. The title was created in 2012 after the 14th Dalai Lama decided not to assume any political and administrative authority as the head of the Tibetan Administration for Tibetans-in-exile.
The current Sikyong is Penpa Tsering. The Sikyong is the political leader of the Kashag, part of the executive branch of the Central Tibetan Administration. This office should not be confused with the "Chairman of the People's Government of the Tibet Autonomous Region" (Chinese: 西藏自治区人民政府主席).
The first directly elected Kalön Tripa was Lobsang Tenzin, the Samdhong Rinpoche, who was elected August 20, 2001.[1]
Before 2011, the Kalön Tripa position was subordinate to the 14th Dalai Lama[2] who presided over the government in exile from its founding.[3] In 2011, the Dalai Lama announced that his political authority would be transferred to Sangay.[4]
On September 20, 2012, the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile unanimously voted to change the title of Kalön Tripa to Sikyong in Article 19 of the Charter of the Tibetans in exile and relevant articles.[5] The Dalai Lama had previously referred to the Kalon Tripa as Sikyong, and this usage was cited as the primary justification for the name change. According to Tibetan Review, "Sikyong" translates to "political leader".[6] The online Dharma Dictionary translates sikyong (srid skyong) as "secular ruler; regime, regent".[7]
See also: Tibet (1912–1951).
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Dalai Lama | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Tsarong Wangchuk Gyalpo | 1903 | 1912 | years | 13th Dalai Lama | ||
| Chankhyim Trekhang Thupten Shakya | 1907 | 1920 | years | ||||
| Paljor Dorje Shatra | 1907 | 1923 | years | ||||
| 1907 | 1926 | years | |||||
| 2 | 1926 | 1940 | years | 13th Dalai Lama 14th Dalai Lama | |||
| 3 | Lobsang Tashi | 1950 | 27 April 1952 | years | 14th Dalai Lama | ||
| 1950 | 27 April 1952 | years | |||||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Dalai Lama | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 | Jangsa Tsangy | 1959 | 1960 | years | 14th Dalai Lama | ||
| 2 | 1960 | 1964 | years | ||||
| 3 | 1965 | 1967 † | years | ||||
| 4 | 1970 | 1975 | years | ||||
| 5 | 1975 | 1980 | years | ||||
| 6 | 1980 | 1985 | years | ||||
| 7 | 1985 | 1990 | years | ||||
| 8 | 1990 | 1991 | years | ||||
| 9 | Gyalo Thondup | 1991 | 1993 | years | |||
| 10 | Tenzin Tethong | 1993 | 1996 | years | |||
| 11 | Sonam Topgyal | April 1997 | 5 September 2001 | [8] | |||
| 12 | Lobsang Tenzin | 5 September 2001 | 8 August 2011 | ||||
| 13 | Lobsang Sangay | 8 August 2011 | 20 September 2012 | ||||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Cabinet[9] | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | Lobsang Sangay | 20 September 2012 | 21 May 2021 | 14th cabinet | 2011-12 | |||
| 15th cabinet | 2016-17 | |||||||
| 2 | Penpa Tsering | 21 May 2021 | Incumbent | 16th cabinet | ||||
| 17th cabinet | 2021-22 | |||||||