Former Mongol Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh wins leadership | Election Issues
With more votes cast, Khurelsukh is leading unopposed over the Democratic Party’s Sodnomzundui Erdene.
Former Mongolian Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh has become the sixth democratically elected President, and has extended the power of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP).
Khurelsukh, who was forced to resign as prime minister after a series of protests earlier this year, held the undisputed victory over Sodnomzundui Erdene of the opposition Democratic Party on Wednesday, with a majority of votes cast in the national election.
He will be replaced by Khaltmaa Battulga, who barred him from running for re-election following a constitutional amendment in Mongolia that would give the president a second chance.
There are about two million voters in a waterless country between China and Russia, where political instability has always been a problem in youth democracy.
The nation gave its first legislation in 1992 after decades of ruling communism.
Khurelsukh’s success follows the lowest campaign between COVID-19 restrictions. Many foreign incidents were called off on Saturday after foreign dignitary Dangaasuren Enkhbat of the National Labor Party tested positive for coronavirus.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mongolians participated in a vote wearing surgical masks and mixed clothing, business suits and blue-collar suits, standing in long lines lined with lines on the floor.
He was ushered into the polls by staff wearing protective clothing, before voting in front of the Mongolian flag.
Mongolian political policies give elected members of parliament the right to form governments and make decisions, but the president has the power to challenge the law and to record and judge judges.
With leadership often dominated by the opposition party, the division of power has created political problems that some believe have slowed down development in Mongolia.
Khurelsukh’s election is expected to give MPP the power to overthrow the ruling party, although he should resign as soon as he takes office.
The Democratic Party campaigned under the slogan “Mongolia Without Dictatorship”, and Erdene warned that the country was slowing down to one party.
A worker wearing a human body suit at a presidential election polling station in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia [B Rentsendorj/Reuters]
It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post. Mongolia’s main foreign project, the Rio Tinto-owned Oyu Tolgoi copper mine, was revived by the Ulaanbaatar government.
Inequality is a major issue among the Mongols, and poverty rates are 28%, according to a recent study by the World Bank.
The country has also been hit hard by climate change, which has led to desertification and pollution. Temperatures fluctuate from 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) in winter to 30C (86F) in summer.
In a culture obsessed with nomadic culture, more than two thirds of these people now live in cities.
