Mongolia: The Mongolian People’s Party (MPP), which is in power, is predicted to win the election despite growing public dissatisfaction with corruption and the country’s economic situation.
Voters in the huge country, which is surrounded by Russia and China, will select 126 representatives to the enlarged State Great Khural, which will serve as the nation’s legislature.
On Thursday, the polls opened at 7 AM local time (23 00 GMT) and closed at 10 p.m. (14 00 GMT). Because of automated vote counting, preliminary results are anticipated in a few hours.
The MPP, led by Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, won resoundingly in the most recent elections in 2020, but the widespread corruption, high living expenses, and dearth of prospects for the youth, who make up over two-thirds of the population, are causing people to become more frustrated.
Voting outside Ulaanbaatar’s capital, Enkhmandakh Boldbaatar, 38, said he did not support the MPP or the Democratic Party because he felt they had both underperformed. The competition for seats in the parliament is between 19 parties.
The social media-savvy, professional candidates of the center-right HUN party, which fights corruption, are projected to gain more seats because of their strong support from the urban middle class.
In Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, Mongolia has fallen five places to 33 out of 100, and it is presently rated 121st out of 180 countries and territories.
Under the MPP, it has also dropped in the ranks for journalistic freedom, and activists claim that the rule of law has significantly decreased.
The opposition Democratic Party’s 2009–2017 leader and former president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj celebrated the beginning of the election on X on Friday morning, writing: “As the Mongolian saying goes, ‘It is better to live by your own choice than according to others’ choices.”
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