By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, May 31: The newly elected parliamentarians of the 17^th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) are set to take oath of office from the Chief Justice Commissioner Sonam Norbu Dagpo on June 8. The initial date for the swearing-in ceremony on May 30 was postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 curfew restrictions in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.

Due to the resignation of former Speaker Pema Jungney over TSJC-TPiE row, MP Dawa Tsering has been appointed as the Pro-tem Speaker, in accordance with the Article 47 of the Charter. Dawa Tsering will take oath of office before the Chief Justice Commissioner and will then consequently administer the oath of office to the new members of the parliament.

Last week, some members of the Standing Committee of the TPiE resigned as protest against the resumption of duty by the three judges of the TSJC. The Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok took did not attend the new Sikyong’s swearing-in ceremony, citing the committee’s non-acceptance to the reinstatement of the justices. Eight out of the eleven members of the 16th TPiE’s Standing Committee have tendered their resignation in protest.

MP Serta Tsultrim, one of the committee members who resigned, cautioned against the legitimacy of the Sikyong ceremony from the current Chief Commissioner, and further added that it is an ‘unlawful’ oath-taking ceremony. The judges who resumed their posts on May 24 said that the resolution passed in the parliamentary budget session which saw them impeached is ‘illegitimate’ as the house majority that supported the resolution no longer stands, citing a letter by 21 MPs who supported the withdrawal of the resolution.