Mongolian legislative election, 2008
Encyclopedia
A legislative election in Mongolia
was held on June 29, 2008. A total of 356 candidates were running for 76 seats in the State Great Khural. According to official results published on July 14, at least 39 seats went to the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
(MPRP), and at least 25 seats went to main opposition party, the Democrats
(DP). Ten seats remained subject to possible recounts.
After intermediate results published on June 30 showed a clear MPRP victory, DP chairman Elbegdorj declared on July 1 that the elections were rigged and that his party would not accept these results. Protests against the election results turned violent on the evening of July 1, and protesters sacked the MPRP headquarters in downtown Ulaanbaatar
. Five protesters were killed, and around midnight a four-day state of emergency was declared.
, with two to four seats per aimag
or (in Ulaanbaatar
) düüreg
. Previous elections had single-seat constituencies, and the new, more complicated voting system was reported to have led to a delay in vote counting.
Of the 76 seats, 20 were elected from Ulaanbaatar, and the other 56 were elected from the aimags. Mongolian voter registration is essentially coupled with civil registration. Vote counting is not done publicly, and results of individual polling stations are not published. After the 2004 legislative elections had been contested in some constituencies, Mongolian voters now have their thumbs marked after casting their vote.
, and Bayangol) remained open. On August 20, final results from Khentii were officially published, raising the number of MPRP seats to at least 42. Turnout was 74.3%, considerably lower than the 82% of the 2004 election
.
declared that there had been massive irregularities with voter registration. Some of their claims were later repudiated by the central registry office. Other allegations were irregularities in the counting process, and voter bribery. International observers, however, described the election as free and fair.
In the evening of July 1, anti-MPRP protesters gathered in front of the MPRP headquarters, clashed with the police, and eventually set the building on fire. Police used batons, water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and live ammunition. The Cultural Palace, north of the MPRP headquarters, was also set on fire. Around midnight local time, President Nambaryn Enkhbayar
declared a state of emergency to be in effect for the following four days. Armored Personnel Carriers were deployed to the streets of Ulaanbaatar, a night curfew and a media blackout
were declared.
Five people, all of them civilians, were killed in the riots: four were shot, and one apparently died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Mongolian minister of justice estimated 220 civilians and 108 service members were injured. Approximately 700 protesters were arrested., of whom 140, including 13 minors and 3 women, have been sentenced to 2–7 years in prison as of October 31, 2008.
On August 15 and 19 2008, ten police officers were arrested in connection with the shootings in the night of July 1/2. On August 20, relatives of these arrested officers organized a protest demonstration on Sükhbaatar Square
.
On August 28, most of the DP representatives in the new State Great Khural decided to attend parliament, and all but Ts. Elbegdorj were sworn in. On September 11, S. Bayar was elected as new prime minister of a coalition government between MPRP and DP. Ts. Elbegdorj finally was sworn in on the same day or on September 11.
The members from Dornod (2 MPRP, 1 DP) were sworn in on 16 September 2008. The members from Bayangol (2 MPRP, 1 DP, 1 Civic Coalition) were announced on 9 October 2008.
In May 2009, nearly a year after the crisis, Elbegdorj defeated Enkhbayar in the presidential election
.
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
was held on June 29, 2008. A total of 356 candidates were running for 76 seats in the State Great Khural. According to official results published on July 14, at least 39 seats went to the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
The Mongolian People's Party formerly the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party is an ex-communist political party in Mongolia. The party is abbreviated MPP in English and ' in Mongolian...
(MPRP), and at least 25 seats went to main opposition party, the Democrats
Democratic Party (Mongolia)
The Democratic Party is a conservative liberal and libertarian political party in Mongolia. Its primary goals are the continued transformation of Mongolia into an open and democratic society.- History :...
(DP). Ten seats remained subject to possible recounts.
After intermediate results published on June 30 showed a clear MPRP victory, DP chairman Elbegdorj declared on July 1 that the elections were rigged and that his party would not accept these results. Protests against the election results turned violent on the evening of July 1, and protesters sacked the MPRP headquarters in downtown Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
. Five protesters were killed, and around midnight a four-day state of emergency was declared.
Election system
The candidates were elected from multi-seat constituencies in a Plurality-at-large systemPlurality-at-large voting
Plurality-at-large voting is a non-proportional voting system for electing several representatives from a single multimember electoral district using a series of check boxes and tallying votes similar to a plurality election...
, with two to four seats per aimag
Aimags of Mongolia
Mongolia is divided into 21 aimags . Each aimag is subdivided into several sums. The name aimag is derived from the Mongolian and Turkic languages word for "tribe". The modern aimags were established since 1921...
or (in Ulaanbaatar
Ulaanbaatar
Ulan Bator or Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia. An independent municipality, the city is not part of any province, and its population as of 2008 is over one million....
) düüreg
Düüreg
A düüreg is a municipal district in the capital of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar. Each of the nine düüregs is subdivided into khoroos.Each düüreg also serves as a constituency that elects one or more representatives into the State Great Khural, the national parliament.Although administratively part of...
. Previous elections had single-seat constituencies, and the new, more complicated voting system was reported to have led to a delay in vote counting.
Of the 76 seats, 20 were elected from Ulaanbaatar, and the other 56 were elected from the aimags. Mongolian voter registration is essentially coupled with civil registration. Vote counting is not done publicly, and results of individual polling stations are not published. After the 2004 legislative elections had been contested in some constituencies, Mongolian voters now have their thumbs marked after casting their vote.
Pre-election campaigns
311 candidates from 11 parties and one coalition, plus 45 independent candidates, were running for election, only 28 of them being incumbent MPs. Both the DP and the MPRP promised cash payouts in case of an election win. The DP promised 1,000,000 MNT (about 800 USD) per person in case of an election win. After first denouncing the idea of such payouts, the MPRP changed course and promised 1,500,000 MNT per person. Other issues were inflation and mining. As in previous elections, there were instances of candidates making monetary payments and other gifts to lure voters.Official results
According to final results published on July 14, the MPRP won at least 39 seats, the DP won at least 25, at least one seat was going to the Civic Will Party, and three seats were won by independent candidates. Results from three constituencies (Khentii, DornodDornod Province
Dornod is the easternmost of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. Its capital is Choibalsan.- Population :Halh are the ethnic majority of the Dornod aimag, but Buryat ethnic group is 22.8% of population total concentrated in the north-eastern sums of Dashbalbar, Tsagaan-Ovoo, Bayan-Uul, Bayandun and...
, and Bayangol) remained open. On August 20, final results from Khentii were officially published, raising the number of MPRP seats to at least 42. Turnout was 74.3%, considerably lower than the 82% of the 2004 election
Mongolian legislative election, 2004
Parliamentary elections for the State Great Khural in Mongolia took place on 27 June and 17 July 2004. The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party emerged as the largest party, but failed to win a parliamentary majority.-Results:...
.
| ↓ | |||||
| |
W P |
C |
|
|
|
Allegations of fraud
After immediate results showed a clear MPRP victory, DP Chairman Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj declared that his party would not accept the election results, and alleged that the elections had been rigged. On a press conference held on July 7, DP politicians D. Dorligjav, Z. Enkhbold and L. GündalaiLamjavyn Gündalai
Lamjavyn Gündalai is a Mongolian politician. He has been a member of parliament since 2000 and served as Minister of Health from January 2006 to January 2007....
declared that there had been massive irregularities with voter registration. Some of their claims were later repudiated by the central registry office. Other allegations were irregularities in the counting process, and voter bribery. International observers, however, described the election as free and fair.
Violence and state of emergency
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, the Speaker of Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and the President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009...
declared a state of emergency to be in effect for the following four days. Armored Personnel Carriers were deployed to the streets of Ulaanbaatar, a night curfew and a media blackout
Media blackout
Media blackout refers to the censorship of news related to a certain topic, particularly in mass media, for any reason. A media blackout may be voluntary, or may in some countries be enforced by the government or state. The latter case is controversial in peacetime, as some regard it as a human...
were declared.
Five people, all of them civilians, were killed in the riots: four were shot, and one apparently died from carbon monoxide poisoning. The Mongolian minister of justice estimated 220 civilians and 108 service members were injured. Approximately 700 protesters were arrested., of whom 140, including 13 minors and 3 women, have been sentenced to 2–7 years in prison as of October 31, 2008.
On August 15 and 19 2008, ten police officers were arrested in connection with the shootings in the night of July 1/2. On August 20, relatives of these arrested officers organized a protest demonstration on Sükhbaatar Square
Sükhbaatar Square
Sükhbaatar Square is the central square of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. It is named after and features a statue of Damdin Sükhbaatar, leader of Mongolia's 1921 revolution...
.
Political aftermath
Elbegdorj said on July 18 that the DP would boycott the opening session of parliament on July 23. He also said that he was prepared to resign as DP Chairman if the 200 protesters still being held by the police were not released and the political crisis did not end. However, the DP members were present in the opening session, with many of its members criticizing the Chairman of the General Election Committee, and the way the election was held. After Elbegdorj gave his party's position, members of the DP went out of the parliament. As a result, the new members of the parliament were not sworn in.On August 28, most of the DP representatives in the new State Great Khural decided to attend parliament, and all but Ts. Elbegdorj were sworn in. On September 11, S. Bayar was elected as new prime minister of a coalition government between MPRP and DP. Ts. Elbegdorj finally was sworn in on the same day or on September 11.
The members from Dornod (2 MPRP, 1 DP) were sworn in on 16 September 2008. The members from Bayangol (2 MPRP, 1 DP, 1 Civic Coalition) were announced on 9 October 2008.
In May 2009, nearly a year after the crisis, Elbegdorj defeated Enkhbayar in the presidential election
Mongolian presidential election, 2009
Presidential elections were held in Mongolia on 24 May 2009. It was contested between incumbent Nambaryn Enkhbayar, supported by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, and Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who had support of the Democratic Party and the opposition parties. Elbegdorj declared himself...
.