A ruling party has been re-elected for the first time in Mongolia’s three decades of democratic history. Despite the major economic problems of the Central Asian landlocked state, Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh’s ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MVP) won more than 80 percent of the vote yesterday.
The party won 62 of the 76 seats in parliament, according to the Mongolian news agency Montsame, based on the preliminary results.
Mongolia: Nobody died of Covid-19
„The re-election of the MVP means stability first, which is certainly not a bad thing in 2020,“ said Mongolia expert Julian Dierkes from the University of British Columbia in dpa, Vancouver, Canada. „Two factors favored the election victory: on the one hand the relative effectiveness with which the MVP has ruled in the past few years, and on the other hand the degree of organization and unity of the MVP as a party.“ This also motivates voters in the country able to choose faithful MVP.
The voters apparently also rewarded the government’s successful handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Mongolia has so far had no Covid 19 deaths and only a little more than 200 infections that were brought in from abroad.
Precautions were also taken during the election to avoid infection. So clear distance rules applied. Body temperature was also measured in voters. Disinfectants and disposable gloves were distributed at polling stations.
The landlocked country between the two overpowering neighbors Russia and China is four times the size of Germany, but has just under three million inhabitants. Despite its wealth of natural resources, the country is suffering from major economic problems. Reasons include the decline in raw material prices and the falling demand. According to the World Bank, 28 percent of Mongols continue to live below the poverty line. There is also frustration among the people about rampant corruption.
