The newly elected prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile said Wednesday he would respect the wishes of the Dalai Lama and try to step into the global icon's political role.
Tibetan exiles chose Lobsang Sangay, a 43-year-old Harvard academic, to be their new prime minister after the Dalai Lama said he would give up his political duties but continue to be a spiritual leader.
"We must respect the wishes and wisdom of His Holiness and find ways to implement his decision," Sangay said in an interview with Radio Free Asia's Tibetan-language service.
The Dalai Lama, who fled Chinese rule of his homeland for India in 1959, has built a wide global following but at age 75 he is looking at how to sustain the struggle for Tibetan rights.
Sangay, who has never lived in Tibet, told AFP last month that the Dalai Lama was irreplaceable but that there was a hunger in the Tibetan community to "see the younger generation taking over the leadership."
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