By Indira Guerrero
Dharamshala, India, July 4 (EFE).- The Tibetan government-in-exile on Friday dismissed speculation of an imminent succession crisis, saying the Dalai Lama is in good health and expected to lead for many more years.
Marking his 90th birthday, they warned China that any hopes of imposing a successor were premature.
Penpa Tsering, head of the Central Tibetan Administration, told EFE there was too much focus on the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as if he were “going to die tomorrow or day after or next year or something like that.”
Tsering framed the Dalai Lama’s longevity as an existential challenge for China’s Communist Party, which analysts say has long prepared to install its own successor after the Dalai Lama’s death.
“China will also have to change. That’s why I keep saying His Holiness reassures us that he will live for another two decades and more. And I tell that to the Chinese: this is meant for you because you’re waiting for this Dalai Lama to die.”
Confident in the spiritual leader’s longevity, Tsering added: “Let’s see whether communism outlives His Holiness or His Holiness outlives communism.”
He criticized media speculation about succession, noting that the search for the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation will only begin after his passing.
“A lot of people came expecting that His Holiness might appoint somebody or say, ‘I’m going to be born in this place at that time.’ This doesn’t happen like that,” he said, citing the Dalai Lama’s prediction that he may live beyond 110 or even 130.
Bittersweet celebration
The Dalai Lama’s birthday filled Dharamshala’s streets with festive cheer, but for exiled Tibetans, the occasion also carries a bittersweet reminder: the end of an era that has defined their resistance for over six decades draws closer.
While they celebrate his presence, the community quietly braces for the uncertainty his absence will bring.
The Tibetan leadership is using the anniversary not only to honor the Dalai Lama but to reaffirm their spiritual and political autonomy from China.
Based in the Indian Himalayan town of Dharamshala, the Tibetan exile community has built a democratic system led by an elected government-in-exile with its own parliament and network of services.
In 2011, the Dalai Lama renounced his political powers, handing authority to the elected leadership to ensure a secular, democratic government independent of his personal role. EFE
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