Politics of Mongolia
Encyclopedia
Politics of Mongolia takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential
representative democratic
republic
, and of a multi-party system
. Executive power
is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
and parliament.
The Judiciary
is independent of the executive and the legislature.
n Government was modeled on the Soviet system; only the communist party—the MPRP--officially was permitted to function. After some instability during the first two decades of communist rule in Mongolia, there was no significant popular unrest until December 1989. Collectivization
of animal husbandry, introduction of agriculture, and the extension of fixed abodes were all carried out without perceptible popular opposition.
The birth of perestroika
in the former Soviet Union
and the democracy movement in eastern Europe
were mirrored in Mongolia. The dramatic shift toward reform started in early 1990 when the first organized opposition group, the Mongolian Democratic Union
, appeared. In the face of extended street protests in subzero weather and popular demands for faster reform, the politburo
of the MPRP resigned in March 1990. In May, the constitution was amended, deleting reference to the MPRP's role as the guiding force in the country, legalizing opposition parties, creating a standing legislative body, and establishing the office of president.
Mongolia's first multi-party elections for a People's Great Khural were held on 29 July 1990. The MPRP won 85% of the seats. The People's Great Khural first met on 3 September and elected a president (MPRP), vice president (SDP—Social Democrats), prime minister (MPRP), and 50 members to the Baga Khural (small Khural). The vice president also was chairman of the Baga Khural. In November 1991, the People's Great Khural began discussion on a new constitution, which entered into force February 12. In addition to establishing Mongolia as an independent, sovereign republic and guaranteeing a number of rights and freedoms, the new constitution restructured the legislative branch of government, creating a unicameral legislature, the State Great Khural (SGKh).
The 1992 constitution provided that the president would be elected by popular vote rather than by the legislature as before. In June 1993, incumbent Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat won the first popular presidential election running as the candidate of the democratic opposition.
As the supreme government organ, the SGKh is empowered to enact and amend laws, determine domestic and foreign policy, ratify international agreements, and declare a state of emergency. The SGKh meets semiannually. SGKh members elect a chairman and vice chairman who serve 4-year terms. SGKh members are popularly elected by district for 4-year terms.
Until June 27, 2004, the predominant party in Mongolia was the ex-communist party Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
or MPRP. The main opposition party was the Democratic Party
or DP, which controlled a governing coalition from 1996 to 2000.
From 2000 to 2004 MPRP was back in power, but results of the 2004 elections required the establishing of the first ever coalition government in Mongolia between the MPRP and MDC (Motherland Democratic Coalition).
In January 2006, MP Tsogtyn Bataa changed sides from the Motherland Party to the MRPR, giving the latter exactly 50% of the seats. This gave the MPRP the opportunity to withdraw from the coalition, and, with support of several small parties and defectors from the Democratic party, elect Miyeegombyn Enkhbold as the new prime minister. The events triggered strong protests from civic groups and their followers. Individuals and organizations raised concerns that the government change might have been unconstitutional, but no specific violations could be shown.
In April 2006, Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj
was elected as a Democratic Party chairman by the two step elections of the party.
In October 2007, Enkhbold lost his position as MPRP chairman to Sanjaagiin Bayar
. The MPRP delegates also voted for having Bayar create a new government. Enkhbold remained in office until Bayar was elected on 22 November 2007.
In Bayar's government, Enkhbold was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister on December 5, 2007.
The MPRP won a clear majority (46 of 76 seats) in legislative elections on June 29, 2008
. The Democrats
(DP) won 27 seats with the three remaining seats going to minor parties and an independent. After intermediate results were published on July 30, DP chairman Elbegdorj declared that the elections were rigged and that his party would not accept the 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.
|Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
|DP
|18 June 2009
|-
|Prime Minister
|Sükhbaataryn Batbold
|MPRP
|29 October 2009
|}
The presidential candidates are nominated by parties in the State Great Khural and from these candidates the president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The president is the head of state, commander in chief of the armed forces, and head of the national security council. He is popularly elected by a national majority for a 4-year term and limited to two terms. The constitution empowers the president to propose a prime minister, call for the government's dissolution, initiate legislation, veto all or parts of legislation (the State Great Khural can override the veto with a two-thirds majority), and issue decrees, which become effective with the prime minister's signature. In the absence, incapacity, or resignation of the president, the SGKh chairman exercises presidential power until inauguration of a newly elected president.
The government, headed by the prime minister, has a 4-year term. The prime minister is nominated by the president and confirmed by the SGKh. The prime minister chooses a cabinet, subject to State Great Khural approval. The Cabinet consists of thirteen ministries. Dissolution of the government occurs upon the prime minister's resignation, simultaneous resignation of half the cabinet, or after a State Great Khural vote for dissolution.
The MPRP and a coalition of opposition parties currently rule in a national unity coalition after they both got the same number of seats in 2004. In July 2005 the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) announced a unilateral end to the Grand Coalition Government, and that it was assuming the full power of government. After a series of negotiations, the MPRP elected to allow the government of Prime Minister Ts. Elbegdorj to remain in power until August 2006, when Deputy Prime Minister Ulaan is schedule to take the Prime Ministership for the remaining two years of the term.
.
Specialized civil, criminal, and administrative courts exist at all levels and are not subject to Supreme Court supervision. Local authorities—district and city governors—ensure that these courts abide by presidential decrees and SGKh decisions. At the apex of the judicial system is the Constitutional Court of Mongolia
, which consists of nine members, including a chairman, appointed for 6-year terms, whose jurisdiction extends solely over the interpretation of the constitution.
(provinces) and 1 municipality (hot);
Arkhangai,
Bayan-Ölgii,
Bayankhongor,
Bulgan
,
Darkhan-Uul,
Dornod
,
Dornogovi
,
Dundgovi
,
Govi-Altai,
Govisümber
,
Khentii,
Khovd,
Khövsgöl,
Ömnögovi
,
Orkhon,
Övörkhangai,
Selenge
,
Sükhbaatar,
Töv
,
Uvs
,
Zavkhan.
Local khurals are elected by the 21 aimags plus the capital, Ulaanbaatar
. On the next lower administrative level, they are elected by provincial subdivisions and urban subdistricts in Ulaanbaatar
Semi-presidential system
The semi-presidential system is a system of government in which a president and a prime minister are both active participants in the day-to-day administration of the state...
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
republic
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
, and of a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
. Executive power
Executive Power
Executive Power is Vince Flynn's fifth novel, and the fourth to feature Mitch Rapp, an American agent that works for the CIA as an operative for a covert counter terrorism unit called the "Orion Team."-Plot summary:...
is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
and parliament.
The Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
is independent of the executive and the legislature.
Political developments
Until 1990, the MongoliaMongolia
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...
n Government was modeled on the Soviet system; only the communist party—the MPRP--officially was permitted to function. After some instability during the first two decades of communist rule in Mongolia, there was no significant popular unrest until December 1989. Collectivization
Collective farming
Collective farming and communal farming are types of agricultural production in which the holdings of several farmers are run as a joint enterprise...
of animal husbandry, introduction of agriculture, and the extension of fixed abodes were all carried out without perceptible popular opposition.
The birth of perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
in the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the democracy movement in eastern Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
were mirrored in Mongolia. The dramatic shift toward reform started in early 1990 when the first organized opposition group, the Mongolian Democratic Union
Mongolian Democratic Union
The Democratic Union Coalition was a coalition of political parties in Mongolia. Its primary constituents were the National Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, and its core policies were the implementation of political and economic reforms in the post-communist period.In the 1996...
, appeared. In the face of extended street protests in subzero weather and popular demands for faster reform, the politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
of the MPRP resigned in March 1990. In May, the constitution was amended, deleting reference to the MPRP's role as the guiding force in the country, legalizing opposition parties, creating a standing legislative body, and establishing the office of president.
Mongolia's first multi-party elections for a People's Great Khural were held on 29 July 1990. The MPRP won 85% of the seats. The People's Great Khural first met on 3 September and elected a president (MPRP), vice president (SDP—Social Democrats), prime minister (MPRP), and 50 members to the Baga Khural (small Khural). The vice president also was chairman of the Baga Khural. In November 1991, the People's Great Khural began discussion on a new constitution, which entered into force February 12. In addition to establishing Mongolia as an independent, sovereign republic and guaranteeing a number of rights and freedoms, the new constitution restructured the legislative branch of government, creating a unicameral legislature, the State Great Khural (SGKh).
The 1992 constitution provided that the president would be elected by popular vote rather than by the legislature as before. In June 1993, incumbent Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat won the first popular presidential election running as the candidate of the democratic opposition.
Until June 27, 2004, the predominant party in Mongolia was the ex-communist party 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...
or MPRP. The main opposition party was the Democratic Party
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 :...
or DP, which controlled a governing coalition from 1996 to 2000.
From 2000 to 2004 MPRP was back in power, but results of the 2004 elections required the establishing of the first ever coalition government in Mongolia between the MPRP and MDC (Motherland Democratic Coalition).
In January 2006, MP Tsogtyn Bataa changed sides from the Motherland Party to the MRPR, giving the latter exactly 50% of the seats. This gave the MPRP the opportunity to withdraw from the coalition, and, with support of several small parties and defectors from the Democratic party, elect Miyeegombyn Enkhbold as the new prime minister. The events triggered strong protests from civic groups and their followers. Individuals and organizations raised concerns that the government change might have been unconstitutional, but no specific violations could be shown.
In April 2006, Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj
Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj is the President of Mongolia. He won the election on May 24, 2009. The candidate of the Democratic Party, he became Mongolia's first president to never have been a member of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and the first to obtain a Western education...
was elected as a Democratic Party chairman by the two step elections of the party.
Sanjaagiin Bayar
Sanjaagiin Bayar is a Mongolian politician who was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Mongolia from 22 November 2007 to 8 April 2009, and Prime Minister of Mongolia from 22 November 2007 to 29 October 2009. He announced on October 26, 2009, that he was going to resign his position as...
. The MPRP delegates also voted for having Bayar create a new government. Enkhbold remained in office until Bayar was elected on 22 November 2007.
In Bayar's government, Enkhbold was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister on December 5, 2007.
The MPRP won a clear majority (46 of 76 seats) in legislative elections on June 29, 2008
Mongolian legislative election, 2008
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 , and at least 25 seats went...
. 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) won 27 seats with the three remaining seats going to minor parties and an independent. After intermediate results were published on July 30, DP chairman Elbegdorj declared that the elections were rigged and that his party would not accept the 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.
Executive branch
|PresidentPresident of Mongolia
The President of Mongolia is the head of state of Mongolia. The Constitution of Mongolia implements a parliamentary system, so while much of the President's role is ceremonial, he or she does wield significant political power.-Election:...
|Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
|DP
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 :...
|18 June 2009
|-
|Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Mongolia
The Prime Minister of Mongolia is the highest member of the Mongolian government's executive arm, and heads the Mongolian cabinet. The Prime Minister is appointed by Parliament, and can be removed by a vote of no confidence.-Powers:...
|Sükhbaataryn Batbold
Sükhbaataryn Batbold
Sükhbaataryn Batbold is the Prime Minister of Mongolia. He was previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of his predecessor, Sanjaagiin Bayar.-Education and Personal Life:...
|MPRP
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...
|29 October 2009
|}
The presidential candidates are nominated by parties in the State Great Khural and from these candidates the president is elected by popular vote for a four-year term. The president is the head of state, commander in chief of the armed forces, and head of the national security council. He is popularly elected by a national majority for a 4-year term and limited to two terms. The constitution empowers the president to propose a prime minister, call for the government's dissolution, initiate legislation, veto all or parts of legislation (the State Great Khural can override the veto with a two-thirds majority), and issue decrees, which become effective with the prime minister's signature. In the absence, incapacity, or resignation of the president, the SGKh chairman exercises presidential power until inauguration of a newly elected president.
The government, headed by the prime minister, has a 4-year term. The prime minister is nominated by the president and confirmed by the SGKh. The prime minister chooses a cabinet, subject to State Great Khural approval. The Cabinet consists of thirteen ministries. Dissolution of the government occurs upon the prime minister's resignation, simultaneous resignation of half the cabinet, or after a State Great Khural vote for dissolution.
The MPRP and a coalition of opposition parties currently rule in a national unity coalition after they both got the same number of seats in 2004. In July 2005 the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) announced a unilateral end to the Grand Coalition Government, and that it was assuming the full power of government. After a series of negotiations, the MPRP elected to allow the government of Prime Minister Ts. Elbegdorj to remain in power until August 2006, when Deputy Prime Minister Ulaan is schedule to take the Prime Ministership for the remaining two years of the term.
Ministries
- Foreign Affairs
- Finance
- Justice and Internal Affairs
- Environment
- Defense
- Education, Culture, and Science
- Construction and Urban Development
- Fuel Energy
- Roads, Transport, and Tourism
- Social Welfare and Labor
- Industry and Commerce
- Food and Agriculture
- Health
Legislative branch
The State Great Assembly (Ulsyn Ikh Khural) has 76 members, elected for a four year term in single-seat constituenciesElectoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
.
Political parties and elections
Legal system
The new constitution empowered a General Council of Courts (GCC) to select all judges and protect their rights. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial body. Justices are nominated by the GCC and confirmed by the SGKh and president. The court is constitutionally empowered to examine all lower court decisions—excluding specialized court rulings—upon appeal and provide official interpretations on all laws except the constitution.Specialized civil, criminal, and administrative courts exist at all levels and are not subject to Supreme Court supervision. Local authorities—district and city governors—ensure that these courts abide by presidential decrees and SGKh decisions. At the apex of the judicial system is the Constitutional Court of Mongolia
Constitutional Court of Mongolia
The paragraph 1 of the article 64 of the Constitution of Mongolia says that “The Constitutional Tsets is the body which has full powers to exercise supreme supervision over implementing of the Constitution, to make decisions on the breaches of its provisions, to settle disputes”. Thus, the...
, which consists of nine members, including a chairman, appointed for 6-year terms, whose jurisdiction extends solely over the interpretation of the constitution.
Administrative divisions
Mongolia is divided in 21 AimagsAimags 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...
(provinces) and 1 municipality (hot);
Arkhangai,
Bayan-Ölgii,
Bayankhongor,
Bulgan
Bulgan Province
Bulgan is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in northern Mongolia. Its capital is also named Bulgan.- Geography :The aimag is surrounded by the aimags Khövsgöl in the northwest, Arkhangai in the southwest, Övörkhangai in the south, Töv in the southeast, and Selenge in the northeast...
,
Darkhan-Uul,
Dornod
Dornod 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...
,
Dornogovi
Dornogovi Province
Dornogovi is one of the 21 Aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the southeast of the country.-Administrative Subdivision:* - tosgon .** - The aimag capital Sainshand-References:...
,
Dundgovi
Dundgovi Province
Dundgovi is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the south of the country, approximately south of Ulaanbaatar. Its capital is Mandalgovi.- Climate :...
,
Govi-Altai,
Govisümber
Govisümber Province
Govisümber is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the center of the country. Its capital is Choir.- Administrative Subdivision :* - The aimag capital Choir- References :...
,
Khentii,
Khovd,
Khövsgöl,
Ömnögovi
Ömnögovi Province
Ömnögovi is an aimag of Mongolia, located in the south of the country, in the Gobi Desert. Ömnögovi is Mongolia's largest aimag. The capital is Dalanzadgad....
,
Orkhon,
Övörkhangai,
Selenge
Selenge Province
Selenge is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia, located in the north of the country. The name is derived from the Selenge river. The capital is Sükhbaatar.- Administrative subdivisions :* - The aimag capital- References :...
,
Sükhbaatar,
Töv
Töv Province
Töv is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. The national capital Ulaanbaatar is located roughly at its center, but the city itself is administrated as an independent municipality.- Geography :...
,
Uvs
Uvs Province
Uvs is one of the 21 aimags of Mongolia. It is located in the west of the country, 1336 km away from the national capital Ulaanbaatar.Its capital is Ulaangom which lies 936m above the Sea level....
,
Zavkhan.
Local khurals are elected by the 21 aimags plus the capital, 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....
. On the next lower administrative level, they are elected by provincial subdivisions and urban subdistricts in Ulaanbaatar