MONGOLIA’S OPPOSITION Democratic Party has won presidential elections in the sparsely populated, resource-rich central Asian country and the victor Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj promised a “clean” period in office.
There was violence in the capital Ulan Bator last year, leaving five people dead, after a disputed result in parliamentary polls, but incumbent Nambaryn Enkhbayar of the ex-communist Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) appeared to have conceded defeat.
“I will be an honest president, for not just the Democratic Party but all Mongolian people,” the Harvard-educated Mr Elbegdorj told a jubilant crowd gathered in the city’s main public square under a huge statue of national hero Genghis Khan.
More than half the electorate live in Ulan Bator and Mr Elbegdorj’s pledge to share more of the country’s mining wealth with the public went down well at the polls.
Mongolia has long been a buffer country sandwiched between Russia and China.
More than one-third of the population of about 2.5 million live below the poverty line, even though a succession of huge gold, silver, copper and coal mining deals in recent years have seen significant inflows into state coffers.
Born in 1963, Mr Elbegdorj was one of the leaders of a peaceful 1990 revolution that overthrew 70 years of communist rule. He has already been president twice. The first elections were held in 1992.
In an attempt to stop charges of electoral fraud this time around, Mongolians for the first time were required to present a voter card when entering polling booths, as well as their identity documents.
Following last July’s riots, the MPRP prime minister, Sanj Bayar, accused Mr Elbegdorj of triggering the riots by alleging vote-rigging. The situation is complicated by the fact both parties are partners in a parliamentary coalition pursuing more or less the same policies.
The main issue in the election was the economy, which has been hard hit by falling commodities prices. Mr Elbegdorj won the election on promises of rooting out corruption and obtaining a greater share for individuals of the country’s mineral wealth. The post is technically ceremonial but recent Mongolian presidents have wielded significant political clout.
Foreign investors keen to take advantage of Mongolia’s rich pickings of natural resources will be watching Mr Elbegdorj’s moves closely, as his populism could see a a tougher stance in dealings with foreign miners.