Mongolia’s Next Election Will Feature New Types of Candidates
The breadth of Mongolian democracy is widening.
CROSSROADS ASIA | POLITICS | EAST ASIA
Mongolia’s Next Election Will Feature New Types of Candidates
The breadth of Mongolian democracy is widening.
By Bulgan Batdorj and Julian Dierkes
May 22, 2020
Mongolia’s Next Election Will Feature New Types of Candidates
Credit: Pixabay
May 16 was the deadline for candidates in the June 24 parliamentary election in Mongolia to be nominated. Suddenly, many new candidates are running in the 2020 election — as independents, with new parties, and with the established parties.
Over the past decade, voter frustration with established parties has been building up.
While these established parties will likely take most of the 76 seats in the State Great Khural, the decision by many independent thinkers to stand for election suggests that belief in democracy remains strong and that a reinvigoration of public participation in setting Mongolia’s course may be possible.
In the 2016 parliamentary and 2017 presidential elections it became apparent that Mongolian voters had developed doubts about some of their political institutions, especially political parties, and perhaps were even questioning democracy.
For example, over 8 percent of voters submitted a blank ballot in the second round of the 2017 presidential election, actively voicing their displeasure with the two candidates.
In recent years, Mongolia has also been roiled by a series of corruption scandals that have further tainted politicians’ reputation.
This has led to fears about democratic backsliding.
Amid a fairly successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mongolia is holding its parliamentary election on June 24 on its usual four-year cycle.
Equally cyclical is yet another revision of the electoral system, this time reverting to the 2008 system of multi-member majoritarian voting.
Mongolia has been divided into 29 electoral districts (provinces and capital city districts) which will each elect two to three MPs.
This electoral system is rarely used in national elections elsewhere; it is known to be unfavorable to women candidates but may benefit prominent candidates, whether they are new or long-established.
A total of 670 candidates are running in the election; 208 are independents. Two parties and one electoral coalition are running full slates of candidates.
The Ulaanbaatar district of Sukhbaatar has the greatest number of candidates (28) competing for three seats, while western Uvs, with its 20 candidates, has the greatest number outside the capital.
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When considering whether this election might bring an important shift in Mongolia’s political culture, there are three different kinds of new candidates in this election: new candidates with the established parties — Mongolian People’s Party (MPP), Democratic Party (DP) and Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP) — candidates in new(ish) parties (especially the National Labor Party), and independents.
Some of the fiercest battles will be fought in urban electoral districts. In Ulaanbaatar’s Sukhbaatar district the three candidates running for the governing MPP include the current and previous foreign ministers, D.
Tsogtbaatar and Ts. Mukh-Orgil, respectively, but they are pitted against former DP Prime Minister R. Amarjargal; prominent economist and a leading figure of the upstart National Labor Party, B. Munkhsoyol; and leader of the neo-nationalist movement “Bosoo Huh Mongol,” P.
Shinjeeravdan, in a battle for three parliamentary seats among 28 candidates in that district.
By contrast, there are many rural provinces where the established party candidates seem stacked to make it highly unlikely for any new candidates to win a seat.
Eastern Mongolian Khentii, for example, boasts current Prime Minister U. Khurelsukh, current Cabinet Secretary L.
Oyun-Erdene, and former presidential candidate and champion wrestler B. Bat-Erdene as candidates for the MPP.
