Latest news with #MongolianPeople'sParty
Morocco World
3 days ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Mongolia's Prime Minister Resigns After Protests Spark No-Confidence Vote
A historic no-confidence vote has resulted in Mongolia's Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene becoming the latest Asian leader to resign after protests. Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday following a vote of no confidence. This comes after a period of mass protests across Ulaanbaatar. Oyun-Erdene has become only the latest Asian leader to be removed due to large protest movements. Other leaders such as ex-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and ex-Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa have been forced to resign in recent years. Mongolia is a landlocked country situated between Russia and China. The country was ruled under a one-party communist state system during the cold war, only becoming a democracy after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since then, there has been a continued and sustained effort to try and build a strong democratic system. However, many in the country have alleged that Mongolia has suffered from widespread corruption. Wealthy business and political elites have been hoarding profits from a years-long coal mining boom. In the Transparency International Corruption Index the country has fallen several places to 114 out of 180 countries. Oyun-Erdene is the leader of the Mongolian People's Party and has been prime minister for the past four years. During the 2024 election there were a series of political reforms, including the expansion of parliament from 76 seats to 126. This led to the MPP losing its majority and having to form a coalition government. This coalition collapsed last month when the Democratic Party was expelled. 'Resignation is easy' Oyun-Erdene has come under increased scrutiny in recent months with allegations of family corruption. This was sparked by reports of lavish spending, including Oyun-Erdene's son during an extravagant marriage proposal posted on social media. This sparked outrage with large protests erupting across Mongolia largely centred around Ulaanbaatar. Protestors called for the resignation of the Prime Minister, and on Monday many people went to the streets stating that 'resignation is easy.' The Prime Minister rejected the allegations of corruption and accused the protestors of having major visible and hidden interests. Oyun-Erdene also claimed that the protests would just lead to a fractious political situation and economic chaos if he was forced from power. Early on Tuesday, the Mongolian parliament held a vote of no-confidence on the Prime Minister's leadership. The result of the vote was 44 in favor and 38 against his leadership. This vote meant he didn't reach the necessary 64-vote threshold and Oyun-Erdene was therefore forced to resign from his office. 'It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties including pandemics, wars and tariffs,' Oyun-Erdene stated, adding that he will remain in place until a new leader is selected within at least the next 30 days. This event has led to renewed instability in Mongolia's politics and will have a clear impact on its future.
Muscat Daily
3 days ago
- Business
- Muscat Daily
Mongolian PM resigns after losing confidence vote
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia – Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday after failing to secure enough support in a confidence vote, a parliamentary statement said. It comes after weeks of public protests against allegations of corruption. Oyun-Erdene received just 44 votes in the 126-seat parliament, well below the 64 needed to remain in office. Following the declaration of the results, Oyun-Erdene said: 'It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs.' He will remain a caretaker role until a successor is appointed within 30 days. Political crisis brews Prior to the vote, Oyun-Erdene has warned that the confidence motion could cause instability and posed a threat to democracy in the country. 'If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus. It could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse,' he said. Formerly communist Mongolia adopted democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. Last month, Oyun-Erdene's Mongolian People's Party (MPP) expelled the Democratic Party (DP) from the ruling coalition after some of its younger lawmakers backed calls for the prime minister's resignation. Protests against corruption The prime minister's resignation follows days of youth-led protests in capital Ulaanbaatar calling for his ouster over inequality, corruption, and rising living costs, with citizens demanding reform and accountability. Reports of lavish spending by Oyun-Erdene's son fuelled the protesters. The protesters have said the country's mineral riches have benefited businesses and the wealthy, while many Mongolians still live in poverty. In a statement to AFP last month, the prime minister's office said it 'vehemently' denied the allegations, labelling them as a 'smear'. Mongolia's drop in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index since Oyun-Erdene came to power in 2021 also did not help his cause. DW
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Mongolian PM resigns after losing confidence vote
Mongolian Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai (AP) Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday after failing to secure enough support in a confidence vote, a parliamentary statement said. It comes after weeks of public protests against allegations of corruption. Oyun-Erdene received just 44 votes in the 126-seat parliament, well below the 64 needed to remain in office. Following the declaration of the results, Oyun-Erdene said: "It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs." He will remain a caretaker role until a successor is appointed within 30 days. Political crisis brews Prior to the vote, Oyun-Erdene has warned that the confidence motion could cause instability and posed a threat to democracy in the country. "If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus. It could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse," he said. Formerly communist Mongolia adopted democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. Last month, Oyun-Erdene's Mongolian People's Party (MPP) expelled the Democratic Party (DP) from the ruling coalition after some of its younger lawmakers backed calls for the prime minister's resignation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Protests against corruption The prime minister's resignation follows days of youth-led protests in capital Ulaanbaatar calling for his ouster over inequality, corruption, and rising living costs, with citizens demanding reform and accountability. Reports of lavish spending by Oyun-Erdene's son fueled the protesters. The protesters have said the country's mineral riches have benefited businesses and the wealthy, while many Mongolians still live in poverty. In a statement to AFP last month, the prime minister's office said it "vehemently" denied the allegations, labelling them as a "smear." Mongolia's drop in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index since Oyun-Erdene came to power in 2021 also did not help his cause.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Mongolia's Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Resigned
Mongolia's Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrain bows after a no-confidence vote in Ulaanbaatar on June 3, 2025. Credit - Byamabasuren Byamba-Ochir—AFP/Getty Images Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrain was elected Mongolia's Prime Minister in 2021, after gaining prominence by helping to organize mass protests against corruption. Now, after protesters have taken to the streets accusing him of corruption, which he has denied, he's resigned. Oyun-Erdene lost a vote of confidence in parliament on Monday, according to a parliamentary statement, failing to secure a majority 64 votes in the 126-seat body. Only 82 lawmakers voted in the secret ballot, which yielded only 44 in approval of Oyun-Erdene. 'It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs,' Oyun-Erdene said after the vote. Oyun-Erdene, whose center-left ruling Mongolian People's Party retained a majority but formed a coalition with opposition parties anyway after legislative elections last year, will remain as caretaker Prime Minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days. His resignation, fueled by discontent over his family's apparent lavish spending and luxurious lifestyle, marks the latest political upheaval in the Asian nation's longstanding fight against corruption. The mineral-rich landlocked country, sandwiched between autocratic giants China and Russia, has been a hotbed of predatory behavior by business elites, while more than a quarter of the country's 3.5 million population is mired in poverty. The no-confidence vote means the coalition government will cease to exist, though the Mongolian People's Party should be able to form a new government. Oyun-Erdene told TIME in an interview in January that he formed the coalition government to try to overcome Mongolia's inertia due to politicization. 'As a small kid, I looked forward to my country's development,' he said, 'and there have been some projects that people discussed at that time, but still no progress has been made because of political divisions.' Here's what to know. This year, antigovernment protests began as early as January. But the Prime Minister faced a new wave of criticism in May stemming from a controversy surrounding his 23-year-old son Temuulen, whom Asia-Pacific commentary outlet The Diplomat reported was recalled from his studies at Harvard University 'due to corruption investigations.' Social media reports of Temuulen gifting his now-fiancée luxury items—including, according to CNN, 'helicopter rides, an expensive ring, designer handbags and a luxury car'—angered the public. Protest group Ogtsrokh Amarkhan circulated a petition that got more than 59,000 signatories calling for Oyun-Erden to leave his post, listing his son's lavish spending as only one of the reasons why. The group also cited inflation and price increases, growing unemployment, and poverty. Protesters also called for Oyun-Erdene to release his finances. Oyun-Erdene's office has mainly called the allegations of financial impropriety a 'smear' and 'completely unfounded.' In a statement to CNN, the office said that the Prime Minister 'makes regular financial declarations annually in line with Mongolian law.' Following demands to resign in May, the Prime Minister spoke to local media in defense of his son. Researcher Bolor Lkhaajav reported for The Diplomat that Oyun-Erdene's son did not ask for financial support from his father and that Mongolia's Anti-Corruption Agency was looking into the controversy. Oyun-Erdene even reportedly offered to resign without protest if the agency discovered irregularities in his financial statement. Oyun-Erdene warned before the confidence vote that a change in government could threaten Mongolia's fragile democracy, which only started in the early 1990s after the Soviet Union collapsed. 'If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus. It could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse,' the Prime Minister said. While defending himself, he acknowledged that he was 'dedicating too much time to major projects while paying insufficient attention to social and internal political matters.' Mongolia ranks 114 of 180 countries and territories in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. The 2024 Freedom House's Freedom in the World index describes corruption, particularly involving the mining industry, as 'endemic in Mongolia' and said the problem is widely perceived to 'have worsened in recent years.' According to Freedom House, the country's anticorruption laws 'are vaguely written and infrequently enforced', while anticorruption authorities have been 'criticized as ineffective in pursuing cases.' In 2024, U.S. prosecutors sought the forfeiture of former Prime Minister Batbold Sükhbaatar's two luxury apartments in New York City after they were found to have been purchased using the proceeds of 'unlawfully awarded Mongolian mining contracts.' And in 2022, a coal theft case involving minerals being illegally transported across the Chinese border rocked Mongolia, entangling high-ranking officials and business leaders and resulting in an estimated loss of $12 billion to the economy. Contact us at letters@
DW
3 days ago
- Politics
- DW
Mongolian PM resigns after losing confidence vote – DW – 06/03/2025
Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene's resignation follows days of protests calling for his ouster over inequality, corruption, and rising living costs. Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday after failing to secure enough support in a confidence vote, a parliamentary statement said. It comes after weeks of public protests against allegations of corruption. Oyun-Erdene received just 44 votes in the 126-seat parliament, well below the 64 needed to remain in office. Following the declaration of the results, Oyun-Erdene said: "It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs." He will remain a caretaker role until a successor is appointed within 30 days. Political crisis brews Prior to the vote, Oyun-Erdene has warned that the confidence motion could cause instability and posed a threat to democracy in the country. "If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus. It could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse," he said. Formerly communist Mongolia adopted democracy after the fall of the Soviet Union. Last month, Oyun-Erdene's Mongolian People's Party (MPP) expelled the Democratic Party (DP) from the ruling coalition after some of its younger lawmakers backed calls for the prime minister's resignation. Protests against corruption The prime minister's resignation follows days of youth-led protests in capital Ulaanbaatar calling for his ouster over inequality, corruption, and rising living costs, with citizens demanding reform and accountability. Reports of lavish spending by Oyun-Erdene's son fueled the protesters. The protesters have said the country's mineral riches have benefited businesses and the wealthy, while many Mongolians still live in poverty. In a statement to AFP last month, the prime minister's office said it "vehemently" denied the allegations, labelling them as a "smear". Mongolia's drop in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index since Oyun-Erdene came to power in 2021 also did not help his cause. Young Mongolian women leave nomadic herding To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Zac Crellin
