On September 2 , under the photo of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tibetan refugees across the world in their traditional dress, chupa, celebrated the 63rd anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day.
- The day, widely known within the community as Mangsto Duchen (‘Mangsto’: democracy; ‘Duchen’: occasion) marks the inception of the Tibetan democratic system in exile.
- At the heart of the Tibetan democratic system is the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), which the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.
- On September 2, 1960, a year after thousands of Tibetans had been forced to flee their home, the first elected representatives of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile took their oaths in Bodh Gaya to inaugurate the Tibetan democratic system.
- In 1963, the Dalai Lama enacted the Tibetan constitution based on the ideals of democracy and universal values, following which the first women representatives were elected.
- In 1975, Kashag, the apex body of CTA, declared September 2 as the founding day of Tibetan democracy.
- The CTA, which is based in Dharamshala, has a branch office in every Tibetan settlement spread across India and abroad.
- Under its incumbent President, Penpa Tsering, CTA runs seven departments: Religion and Culture, Home, Finance, Education, Security, Information and International Relations, and Health. The President is directly elected every five years.
