In Exile

The Dalai Lama and his supporters settle in Dharamsala after his escape in 1959. Here, he and his government officials set up a Tibetan government-in-exile, which included all of the departments need to manage a country. The Dalai Lama started to mold the government into a parliamentary democracy. Also, he added an Assembly of Tibetan People's Deputies, which was made up of representatives for the people. Now, this exiled government has a Supreme Justice Commission and eight administrative departments. Voting is allowed for anyone over eighteen. New Delhi, India and Kathmandu, Nepal were two of the first cities to contain an office representing the Dalai Lama. Now there are offices in New York City; London, England; Tokyo, Japan; Geneva, Switzerland; Moscow, Russia; Budapest, Hungary; Paris, France; and Canberra, Australia. The purpose of these offices is to spread information on current events, promote Tibetan culture, and help with Tibetan communities. Many institutes all over the world help Tibet with religion, education, and health care. Some institutes in Dharamsala are the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute, the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts, and the Children's Village.
Tibet drafted a new constitution in1963, and the Tibetan People had an executive, a legislative, and a judicial branch of government. The Council of Ministers, called the Kashag, directed home affairs, foreign affairs, the economy and defense. Other departments handled finance, revenue, and other areas. The members of the Department of Religious Affairs looked over the monasteries and chose monk officials. There were about 350 members in Tibet's National Assembly. The Working Committee was formed from about sixty members of the National Assembly. Governors and administrators look after about 240 different districts.

Under Chinese Rule

The Tibet Autonomous Region was broken in to seven different areas: Ngari, Shigatse, Gyantse, Shannan, Nyingchi, Chamdo, and Nagchu. The governing bodies are the Communist Party Committee and the Regional People's Congress. There are officials at the regional, district and village levels.