ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Mongolia, a relatively new democracy and landlocked nation sandwiched between two much larger autocracies, China and Russia, elected a new parliament on Friday.
At stake are 126 seats in the expanded parliament, 50 more than last time. 2020 ElectionsThe election was won by a landslide by the Mongolian People’s Party, and while the ruling party still appears to have the upper hand, other parties may be able to take advantage of the situation. Voter dissatisfaction It erodes the majority.
About two dozen voters lined up on the steps to a polling station on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar early on Friday morning, some grumbling after the station opened 10 minutes late. Some older voters, including community leaders, wore formal silk robes with large leather belts for the occasion.
Once inside, voters filled out their ballot behind a small screen and fed it into an electronic vote-tallying machine. Before they left, a purple dot was made with a marker on one of their index fingers to prevent them from voting again.
Mongolia democratized in 1990, ending more than 60 years of communist rule. While people have welcomed the freedoms that came with the end of communism, there is also an increasing scepticism towards parliament and its members, who they see as primarily serving their own interests and those of their business associates.
More than 50 countries will hold elections in 2024
The Mongolian People’s Party is aware of these problems but primarily blames other parties.
Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsanamsulay said on Friday that trust in democracy and parliament weakens when personal interests take precedence over the interests of the nation. He called for opening a new page in cooperation between the government and the people after the first 30 years of democracy.
“Today marks the beginning of a whole new 30 years in Mongolian history,” he told reporters after the vote. “Let’s all wait and see how this representative assembly functions and how the political parties operate.”
The polling station on the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar is in a “ger” neighborhood where many of the people who moved to the capital first lived in nomadic tents. It remains a poor area, mostly made up of modest homes, some with tents still pitched in the yards.
Many of the area’s residents, especially the elderly, support the People’s Party, which ruled the country during communism before transforming into a center-left party during the democratic era.
Naranchimeg Ramjav, a 69-year-old People’s Party member and leader of the elderly community, was one of six fully dressed voters who turned up at the polling station before the vote was scheduled to open at 7 a.m.
“I support the current government led by Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene because they have established justice and are starting a new era of 30 years,” she said, wearing an embroidered blue robe.
But some younger voters have expressed disappointment with the CPP and say they chose a younger candidate in the hope that he will bring about change.
Enkmandak Boldbaatar, 38, said he did not vote for either the People’s Party or the main opposition Democrat Party because they performed poorly in the election. Nineteen parties are vying for seats in parliament.
“I’ve lived here for 38 years and this area is the same,” he said. “Just this road and a few buildings were built. If it had worked for the people, things would have been different.”
Corruption Scandal Trust in the government and political parties has been eroded. In addition to the centre-right Democratic Party, the HUN Party has emerged as a third major player in the elections.
In addition to corruption, major issues for voters were unemployment and inflation at a time when the economy has been reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. Attacked by “Zodo” This year, a combination of severe weather and drought has caused the deaths of 7.1 million animals.
There are 2,198 polling stations in the large but sparsely populated country of just 3.4 million people. Polling stations close at 10pm and preliminary results are due to be announced in the early hours of Saturday.
