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Mongolians vote in parliamentary, local council elections

Wednesday, 29 June 2016 10:13 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 30 June 2016 3:01 AM ]

Mongolia's President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj (C) prepares to vote in the Mongolian parliamentary elections in Ulan Bator on June 29, 2016. (AFP)

People in Mongolia have gone to the polls in parliamentary elections, as the central Asian country is struggling with its worst economic crisis which began in 2008.

Mongolians started casting their ballots on Wednesday to elect a new national government for their seventh general elections since 1990, when they changed state socialism to democracy.

According to the General Election Commission of Mongolia, 498 candidates are racing for 76 seats of the parliament, known as the State Great Khural. The contest is mainly between the ruling Democratic party (DP), which put the country on its present democratic course, and the opposition Mongolian People's Party (MPP), which is a leftover from the Soviet era.

Villagers leave a polling station after voting for the parliamentary elections in Mandalgovi, middle Gobi province on June 29, 2016. (AFP)

Additionally, ten more parties and three other coalitions, along with 69 independent candidates, some of whom are celebrities, including singers and wrestlers, are also vying to make their way into the parliament to form, or have a share in forming, the upcoming government.

Mongolians are also casting their ballots to elect local council members among 2,288 registered candidates.

All the parties, coalitions and independent candidates have focused their campaign slogans on what people’s top concerns are, including economic development, improving the country’s educational and healthcare systems, generating much-needed jobs, and repaying foreign debts.

This picture taken on June 25, 2016 shows people attending a candidate's campaign rally ahead of general elections in Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator. (AFP)

Mongolia is rich in natural resources, including huge deposits of copper, coal and gold, which are mainly exported to China, the country’s largest trading partner and investor. The country, however, desperately attempts to monetize its natural resources amid slumping demand for commodities from China.

The government has so far failed to fill the growing gap between the rich and poor, and according to the latest figures, about one-third of Mongolians now live in poverty.

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