Dalai Lama: Tibetans To Vote On New Leadership

AMRITSAR, India — The Dalai Lama said yesterday the Tibetan people will vote on a new system of leadership before he dies, as Tibetan Buddhists grapple with ways to prevent their spiritual leaders from falling under Chinese control.

China has ruled the Himalayan nation of Tibet with a heavy hand since its communist-led forces invaded in 1951 and for decades, the Dalai Lama has personified Tibetans' struggle for self-determination. But fears that China will appoint a new Dalai Lama after his death have led Tibetan leaders to contemplate ideas that break with the centuries-old system to choose their spiritual leader — including doing away with Dalai Lamas or naming a successor before the current leader dies. China, which accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for Tibet, angrily condemned the Nobel Peace Prize winner's proposal as a subversion of Buddhist tradition.