Tibetan Politics

Tibet has a long history. Since the Yuan dynasty, the central government has exercised effective jurisdiction over Tibet. The Tibetan people are an important member of the big family of the Chinese nation. Tibet was called Tubo in Tang and Song dynasties, U-Tsang in Yuan and Ming dynasties, and Tanggute and Toubert in Qing dynasty. From Kangxi Period of Qing dynasty to the present, it is called Tibet. Tibet was peacefully liberated on May 23, 1951. After the suppression of the Tibetan rebellion in 1959, the central government began to exercise full and direct jurisdiction over Tibet. On September 9, 1965, the Tibet autonomous region was formally established.

Regional Autonomy of Ethnic Minorities

In 1961, Tibet began to implement universal suffrage, which has never in the history of Tibet. For the first time, emancipated serfs and slaves gained the democratic right to be masters of their own country, actively exercised the right to vote and stand for election granted by the constitution and the law, participated in the election of deputies to the people’s congresses at various levels at the national and autonomous regions, and participated in the administration of state and local affairs through deputies to the people’s congresses.

After the formal establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region in September 1965, a leading organ of ethnic autonomy was set up from the top down to exercise autonomy in the management of local and ethnic affairs. The law of the People’s Republic of China on regional national autonomy was promulgated in 1984, to establish regional national autonomy system as a basic political system of the country, to make systematic stipulations on the autonomy rights of ethnic minority autonomous areas in political, economic and cultural aspects and their relations with the central government, for the Tibetan people to fully exercise the autonomy provides the powerful legal protection.

According to the special natural and geographical factors of Tibet, the Tibet autonomous region has set the weekly working hours for employees at 35 hours, 5 hours less than the national legal working hours. On the basis of the implementation of national statutory holidays, Tibet autonomous organs have also included the Tibetan New Year, Shoton Festival and other traditional Tibetan festivals in the autonomous region’s holidays. This decision legally ensures that the majority of the Tibetan people enjoy colorful traditional festivals.