Parliamentary elections were held in Mongolia on 24 June 2020.Mongolia: Election for Ulsyn Ikh Khural (Mongolian State Great Hural) IFES The result was a landslide victory for the ruling Mongolian People's Party (MPP), which won 62 of the 76 seats, a slight decrease from the 65 it won in the 2016 parliamentary elections. The main opposition Democratic Party won 11 out 76 seats, gaining only 2 seats. Two electoral coalitions, the Our Coalition and the Right Person Electorate Coalition, each won a single parliamentary seat.
With a turnout of 73%, slightly higher than the last election, the parliamentary elections were held under strict public safety and hygiene measures during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. The convening State Great Khural re-appointed incumbent prime minister and MPP chairman Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh to a second term on 2 July 2020.
Background
Mongolia experienced an economic decline and commodity price shocks starting from 2013. Foreign direct investment recovered starting from 2015 but by 2016, the economic forecast of Mongolia's growth by the IMF was just at 0.4% compared to 17.5% in 2011.
In the 2016 parliamentary election, then-opposition Mongolian People's Party won a landslide victory, outperforming the governing Democratic Party (DP) by 56 seats, despite only 12% total constituency vote difference. The DP's previous plurality of 34 seats was reduced to 9 seats. MPP chairman Miyeegombyn Enkhbold was elected the parliamentary speaker and MPP lawmaker Jargaltulgyn Erdenebat was appointed the Prime Minister of Mongolia in July 2016.
In the 2017 presidential election, Mongolia's first presidential run-off was held after no candidates received the majority vote. The nominee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Sainkhüügiin Ganbaatar came in third with only a thousand-vote difference. Despite record high protest votes, the DP presidential candidate, Khaltmaagiin Battulga, defeated the MPP candidate and speaker, Miyeegombyn Enkhbold, with a 9.4% lead.
Following the MPP's defeat, infighting between the factions led by chairman Enkhbold and rising figure Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh occurred in the subsequent months. Prime minister Erdenebat was ousted (42–31) from office in September 2017. He was succeeded by deputy prime minister Khürelsükh in October 2017. A series of mass demonstrations occurred in December 2018, after the unravelling of a landmark 2018 SME loan scandal, in which 14 parliamentarians, 2 cabinet ministers, 1 deputy minister and several high officials were involved. The protestors called for the resignation of speaker Enkhbold, who was accused of corruption and abuse of power.
The mass protests coincited with a major factional infighting within the governing MPP and subsequent political gridlock since November 2018. A series of political manuevers led to a failed motion of no confidence in November and dismissal of several MPP officials in December. Enkhbold was dismissed as speaker by the State Great Khural on 29 January 2019, forcing him to retire from politics. He was succeeded by Gombojavyn Zandanshatar on 1 February 2019.
A legislation allowing president Battulga to dismiss corrupt judges based on the suggestions of the National Security Council, a body chaired by the president, was passed in March 2019. The dismissal of justices, prosecutors and anti-corruption chiefs by the president in March and June caused a constitutional crisis in 2019. Major constitutional amendments, which empowered the prime minister and judicial independence, were drafted and passed by two-thirds of parliament in November 2019.
COVID-19 pandemic
On 27 January 2020, the Government of Mongolia closed its border with China and all schools following the WHO reports on coronavirus. Multiple holidays, including Tsagaan Sar and Naadam, were cancelled by the government. The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the country when its first case was identified in a French man who traveled from Moscow to Dornogovi on 10 March 2020.
Electoral system The 76 members of the State Great Khural were elected by plurality-at-large voting in multi-member constituencies (of two to four seats each). The electoral system was not decided until a new electoral law was passed on 22 December 2019.Law on Elections amended Montsame, 24 December 2019 The changes were expected to marginalise smaller parties, and also effectively removed the right of 150,000 Mongolian expatriates to vote, as they could not be registered in a specific constituency.Mongolia's new election rules handicap smaller parties, clear way for two-horse race Reuters, 20 May 2016 The new electoral law also barred people found guilty of "corrupt practices" from standing in elections. A proposal to re-introduce mixed proportional system did not garner enough support to pass into law.
Women's right activists called for raising gender quota for nominations from 20% to 30% but they failed. Until the 2024 elections, female MPs made up 17% (13 seats) in the parliament, the highest number since the first democratic elections in 1990.
Political parties
Parliamentary parties In the 2016 parliamentary election, three political parties and one independent were elected to the State Great Khural. By June 2020, the outgoing parliament consisted of three parties—the Mongolian People's Party, the Democratic Party, and the Citizens' Coalition for Justice Party; the latter party was formed by two lawmakers in 2019. The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party lost its only seat to the Democratic Party in 2017. Three members of parliament from the MPP were relieved from their duties, thereby three seats remained vacant. NameParty leaderFloor leaderIdeologyPosition2016 electionAt dissolutionVotes (%)SeatsMPPMongolian People's PartyUkhnaagiin KhürelsükhDulamdorjiin TogtokhsürenSocial democracyCentre-left45.1%DPDemocratic PartySodnomzunduin ErdeneDondogdorjiin ErdenebatLiberal conservatismCentre-right33.1%MPRPMongolian People's Revolutionary PartyNambaryn EnkhbayarLeft-wing populismCentre-left8.0%NEWCitizens' Coalition for Justice PartyJalbasürengiin BatzandanPopulismCentre-right—
Contesting parties 606 candidates were officially registered by the General Election Commission of Mongolia for the election, of whom 121 were independents and 485 were from the following 13 political parties and 4 coalitions: Party or coalitionTotalMongolian People's Party76Democratic Party76Mongolian Green Party15Our CoalitionMongolian People's Revolutionary Party74Civil Will–Green PartyMongolian Traditional United PartyNew CoalitionCitizens' Coalition for Justice Party72Republican PartyTruth and Right PartyMongolian National Democratic PartyRight Person Electorate CoalitionNational Labour Party53Mongolian Social Democratic PartyJustice PartyPeople's Party1Freedom Implementing Party13Development Program Party7United Patriots Party1Keep Order! Constitution 19 CoalitionMongol Conservative Party34For the Mongolian People PartyLove the People Party1Demos Party30World Mongols Party3People's Majority Governance Party24Great Harmony Party1Ger Area Development Party4Independent121Total606 Multiple candidates were arrested during the election campaign. Among them, two were running on the governing MPP's ticket, three were candidates of the opposition DP and one was a candidate of the Keep Order! Constitution 19 Coalition.
Lawmakers not standing for re-election MPSeatFirst electedPartyGombojain SoltanBayan-Ölgii2016MPPMagvany BilegtBayankhongor2016MPPYadamsürengiin SanjmyatavZavkhan2004DPYangugiin SodbaatarÖvörkhangai2012MPPNamsrain AmarzayaaÖmnögovi2016MPPLuvsangiin EnkhboldÖmnögovi2016MPPChültemiin UlaanSükhbaatar1996MPPNavaan-Yundengiin OyundariSelenge2016MPPMiyeegombyn EnkhboldTöv2005MPPAgvaansamdangiin SükhbatTöv2016MPPDamdiny KhayankhyarvaaDarkhan-Uul2008MPPOtgonbilegiin SodbilegOrkhon2012MPPDorjdambyn Damba-OchirOrkhon2016MPPDulamsürengiin OyuunkhorolBayanzürkh2000MPPJadambyn EnkhbayarBayanzürkh2008MPPÖlziisaikhany EnkhtüvshinChingeltei / Nalaikh2000MPPDavaagiin GanboldChingeltei / Nalaikh2016MPPAgvaanluvsangiin UndraaBayangol2016MPPTsedengiin GaramjavSonginokhairkhan2016MPPDendeviin TerbishdagvaSonginokhairkhan2004MPPBatbayaryn UndarmaaSonginokhairkhan2016MPP
Opinion polls Polling firmFieldwork dateSample sizeMPPDPMPRPCWGPNEWRPMNDPTruth and RightNLPOtherNone//Sant Maral1,20031.618.15.2––––––0.7––43.5MEC98015.022.012.0––––––5.0––46.0MEC99020.043.09.0–––––––––28.0MECAug 2017–17.037.06.0–––––––––40.0Sep 2017–17.035.07.0–––––––––40.0Oct 2017–17.029.07.0–––––––––47.0Nov 2017–16.030.06.0–––––––––48.0Dec 2017–17.025.07.0–––––––––51.0Jan 2018–11.015.04.0–––––––––70.0Feb 2018–13.017.06.0–––––––––64.0Mar 2018–14.017.06.0–––––––––63.0Sant Maral1,20017.718.97.30.7–––––1.0––54.4MECApr 2018–15.018.07.0–––––––––60.0Policy Research CenterApr 2018–14.820.47.1––––––4.6––53.2MECJun 2018–14.016.07.0––––––4.0––59.0Sep 2018–16.018.07.0––––––3.0––48.0HHC10 Sep – 10 Dec 201816,00015.519.33.90.6–3.00.39.92.80.2––44.4MECOct 2018–16.017.06.0––––––5.0––56.0Policy Research CenterOct 2018–16.917.34.20.1–0.3–0.50.11.8––58.9MEC75012.015.07.0––––––7.0––59.0Sant Maral1,20014.711.48.50.5–1.00.12.30.10.14.75.751.0MEC1,07010.012.07.0––––––2.0––69.0Policy Research CenterApril 2019–9.710.94.10.2–0.3–0.30.11.3––73.16 June 2019Citizens' Coalition for Justice Party foundedMongolian Poll1,20015.118.85.00.70.70.5––1.1–––58.1MEC70016.017.07.0––––––8.0––52.023 March 2020Our Coalition formed between MPRP, CWGP and MTUPNew Coalition established by NEW Party, RP, MNDP and Truth and Right PartySant Maral1,20016.911.05.33.31.03.04.54.553.62020 election –44.924.58.15.45.23.28.7–– Results The ruling Mongolian People's Party won with a supermajority of 62 seats, a slight drop from the 65 won in the prior elections. The centre-right Democratic Party won 11 seats. The candidate of Our Coalition, former State Great Khural member and vice chairperson of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Sainkhüügiin Ganbaatar, won a seat, as did the candidate of the Right Person Electorate Coalition, Togmidyn Dorjkhand. Former Prime Minister of Mongolia Norovyn Altankhuyag won one seat as an Independent candidate.
Results by constituency Results by constituency
Incumbents who were unseated +Members of Parliament who lost re-electionMPSeatFirst electedPartyNew MPNew partyDakein MuratBayan-Ölgii2016DPNot applicableLkhagvaagiin Eldev-OchirBayankhongor2016MPPNot applicableNyamtaishiryn NomtoibayarDornod2012IndependentNot applicableBatsükhiin NarankhüüDundgovi2012DPNot applicableZagdkhüügiin NarantuyaaZavkhan2016DPNot applicableDondogdorjiin ErdenebatSelenge2012DPNot applicableNamsrain TserenbatUvs2016MPPNot applicableOtgoogiin BatnasanKhovd2016MPPNot applicableOktyabriin BaasankhüüOrkhon2016DPNot applicableJalbasürengiin BatzandanBayanzürkh2012NEWNot applicableSamandyn JavkhlanBayanzürkh2016DPNot applicableTsendiin NyamdorjBagakhangai / Khan-Uul1992MPPNot applicableLuvsanvandangiin BoldBagakhangai / Khan-Uul2008NEWNot applicableTsedenbalyn TsogzolmaaBaganuur / Sükhbaatar2016MPPNot applicableSodnomzunduin ErdeneBayangol2008DPNot applicableDanzangiin LündeejantsanBayangol1992MPPNot applicable
See also List of MPs elected in the 2020 Mongolian parliamentary election
Notes
References