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Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Mongolia's PM resigns after son's holiday photos spark widespread protests
Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene has stepped down following public anger over photos showing his son's expensive holiday. The images, which spread widely on social media, showed Oyun-Erdene's son and his fiancée carrying luxury shopping bags, including a black Dior bag. One photo, said to have been posted by the fiancée, was captioned: 'Happy birthday to me.' Another picture appeared to show the couple in a swimming pool. The photos led to an investigation by the country's anti-corruption agency. Many people questioned how the PM's family could afford such a lifestyle. For two weeks, hundreds of mostly young protesters gathered in Ulaanbaatar, calling for Oyun-Erdene's resignation. Oyun-Erdene lost a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday. Of the 88 lawmakers who voted, 44 supported him and 38 voted against. He needed at least 64 votes in the 126-member parliament to stay in office. '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, as quoted by the BBC. He denied any wrongdoing and said the accusations were part of a political attack. 'Critics are trying to damage my reputation with a smear campaign,' he said. Transparency International, a global anti-corruption watchdog, ranked Mongolia 114th out of 180 countries last year. The BBC noted that the country's corruption situation has worsened since Oyun-Erdene became prime minister. Mongolia, located between Russia and China, has been working to strengthen its democracy since the early 1990s. It has also been building closer relations with Western countries as part of its 'third neighbour' policy, which aims to reduce dependence on its two large neighbours. In a separate case, US prosecutors last year accused former prime minister Sukhbaatar Batbold of using stolen mining funds to buy property in New York. Batbold, who led the government from 2012 to 2015, denied the charges.
Saudi Gazette
12 hours ago
- Business
- Saudi Gazette
Mongolia PM resigns after son's luxury holiday stirs public fury
ULAANBATAAR — Mongolia's prime minister has resigned after social media photos of his son's lavish lifestyle sparked an anti-corruption investigation and weeks of mass protests. Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, who has denied wrongdoing, lost a confidence vote in parliament on Tuesday. The viral photos purport to show Oyun-Erdene's son and the son's girlfriend flaunting a black Dior shoulder bag and several shopping bags while on their engagement holiday. Protesters questioned how Oyun-Erdene's family could afford such luxurious living. Local media reported that the country's anti-corruption body had been looking into their finances. The photo of the Dior bag, reportedly posted by the girlfriend, had the caption: "Happy birthday to me". Another photo purportedly showed the couple kissing in a swimming pool. The images have been shared on social media and published by local Tuesday's confidence vote, 44 of the 88 lawmakers who took part in the secret ballot voted for Oyun-Erdene, while 38 others voted against him. He needed the support of at least 64 of parliament's 126 members."It was an honor to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs," he said after the of protesters, many of them young people, had been taking to the streets for two weeks before the vote, demanding Oyun-Erdene's has rejected allegations of corruption, accusing critics of launching a smear campaign against to Transparency International, Mongolia has seen worsening corruption since Oyun-Erdene came into power. Last year, it was ranked 114th out of 180 countries in terms of government transparency.A former communist state sandwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia has been transitioning to democracy since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early is a persistent problem. Last year, US prosecutors sought to forfeit former Mongolian PM Sukhbaatar Batbold's two New York apartments that he allegedly bought using stolen mining who served from 2012 to 2015, denied recent years, Mongolia has sought to build closer ties with the West, counting the United States and European countries as part of its "third neighbor" foreign policy. — BBC
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Mongolia PM resigns after losing confidence vote
Mongolian prime minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene has resigned after losing a confidence vote in parliament. The vote followed days of mass protests over corruption allegations - fuelled by social media posts about his son's lavish birthday party and engagement. Oyun-Erdene, who took office in 2021, will remain as caretaker PM until a successor is appointed within 30 days. "It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs," he said after the vote. He had to stand down as he fell short of a majority, or 64 of the 126-seat parliament. Some 82 lawmakers took part in the secret ballot, 44 of whom voted for Oyun-Erdene, while 38 voted against him. Hundreds of protesters, many of them young people, had been taking to the streets for two weeks before the vote, demanding Oyun-Erdene's resignation. In particular, they pointed to his family's - especially his son's - apparent lavish lifestyle, questioning the source of their wealth. Mongolians have circulated on social media an extravagant wedding proposal by Oyun-Erdene's son, as well as expensive fashion items. Oyun-Erdene has rejected allegations of corruption, accusing critics of launching a smear campaign against him. According to Transparency International, a watchdog, Mongolia has seen worsening corruption since Oyun-Erdene came into power. Last year, it was ranked 114th out of 180 countries in terms of government transparency. A former communist state sanwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia has been transitioning to democracy since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Corruption is a persistent problem. Last year, US prosecutors sought to forfeit former Mongolian PM Sukhbaatar Batbold's two New York apartments that he allegedly bought using stolen mining funds. Batbold, who served from 2012 to 2015, denied wrongdoing. In recent years, Mongolia has sought to build closer ties with the West, counting the United States and European countries as part of its "third neighbour" foreign policy.
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Mongolia PM resigns amid protests over his son's lavish lifestyle
Mongolian prime minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene has resigned after losing a confidence vote in vote followed days of mass protests over corruption allegations - fuelled by social media posts about his son's lavish birthday party and who took office in 2021, will remain as caretaker PM until a successor is appointed within 30 days."It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs," he said after the vote. He had to stand down as he fell short of a majority, or 64 of the 126-seat parliament. Some 82 lawmakers took part in the secret ballot, 44 of whom voted for Oyun-Erdene, while 38 voted against him. Hundreds of protesters, many of them young people, had been taking to the streets for two weeks before the vote, demanding Oyun-Erdene's particular, they pointed to his family's - especially his son's - apparent lavish lifestyle, questioning the source of their have circulated on social media an extravagant wedding proposal by Oyun-Erdene's son, as well as expensive fashion items. Oyun-Erdene has rejected allegations of corruption, accusing critics of launching a smear campaign against him. According to Transparency International, a watchdog, Mongolia has seen worsening corruption since Oyun-Erdene came into power. Last year, it was ranked 114th out of 180 countries in terms of government transparency.A former communist state sanwiched between Russia and China, Mongolia has been transitioning to democracy since the fall of the Soviet Union in the early is a persistent problem. Last year, US prosecutors sought to forfeit former Mongolian PM Sukhbaatar Batbold's two New York apartments that he allegedly bought using stolen mining who served from 2012 to 2015, denied recent years, Mongolia has sought to build closer ties with the West, counting the United States and European countries as part of its "third neighbour" foreign policy.
The Star
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Prabowo slams corrupt Indonesian officials, warns foreign NGOs
JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (pic) used a national holiday address to deliver a sharp warning to the country's political elite, urging underperforming public officials to step down or face removal. The president, speaking Monday (June 2) at a state ceremony to commemorate Indonesia's founding state ideology, Pancasila, blamed many of the country's struggles on self-serving leaders and others that fail to act in the nation's interest. "One of our biggest weaknesses is the mentality of the national elite,' Prabowo said in a fiery, half-hour speech in front of several hundred military personnel, police and cabinet members in Jakarta. "There are still too many abuses, too much corruption, too much manipulation - and it's happening inside the government.' Any official unable to fulfill their duties, he added, should "step down before I remove them.' He did not name specific targets or agencies in his remarks. The speech marks one of Prabowo's strongest public criticisms of Indonesia's bureaucracy since taking office in October. The president, a member of Indonesia's upper classes who married into the family of former dictator Suharto, has relied heavily on a familiar rhetorical theme: that a corrupt and ineffective elite is weakening national unity and squandering the country's vast resources. Less than a year into his term, Prabowo has positioned himself as a populist leader seeking to lift living standards across an archipelago of more than 280 million people. His administration is rolling out free meals for many students across the country, and last week unveiled plans to lower transport and power costs as part of efforts to boost consumer spending. His big-spending programme and sharp policy shifts raised concerns among investors earlier this year, though sentiment has since stabilised. Prabowo has also portrayed himself as tough on graft, a long-standing problem in South-East Asia's largest economy. Indonesia ranked 99 out of 180 countries in Transparency International's 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, and public confidence in oversight institutions is relatively low. The president also warned of foreign interference, another familiar refrain, accusing unnamed international actors of funding civil society groups to divide Indonesia under the guise of promoting democracy and human rights. "They've been doing this for decades,' he said. "With their money, they fund NGOs that pit us against one another. We must not be manipulated by any nation.' Prabowo delivered his speech at the Pancasila Building in central Jakarta - the same site where the country's founding president, Sukarno, first laid out what he envisioned as a unifying ideology for Indonesia's diverse population in June 1945. Just over two months later, Indonesia declared independence from Dutch colonial rule. Among those in attendance Monday was Sukarno's daughter, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, leader of the main opposition party. It was the first time the two appeared together in public since Prabowo's election victory, though they had a closed-door meeting in April this year. - Bloomberg
