Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Mongolia’s ruling party won a much smaller majority in a parliamentary election than it had previously, according to official results released Monday, raising the possibility of a return to a coalition government for the first time in eight years.
The Mongolian People’s Party won 68 seats out of a 126-seat body in Friday’s national vote, while the opposition Democratic Party won 42, according to a certified list of winners posted on the General Election Commission website. The remaining 16 seats were divided between smaller parties.
The commission presented the final results to the country’s president on Monday shortly before handing out membership cards to newly elected lawmakers in a ceremony at the State Palace, a large building in the capital that houses the parliament chamber and the president’s offices. and the prime minister.
The ceremony, held in a palace auditorium, was a time of cordial handshakes and back hugs as lawmakers congratulated each other on their victories. As their names were read, they came up to the stage one by one to receive a card in a folded wallet-sized protector certifying them as members of parliament.
The Popular Party won overwhelmingly in the previous two elections, winning 62 of 76 seats. in the previous race in 2020, and ruled the country without anyone’s help. A constitutional review last year added 50 seats to parliament.
Mongolian media reports said the ruling party was discussing formulas for a coalition with both the Democratic Party and the HUN party, which won eight seats. Cabinet posts would be shared among coalition members, according to reports. There was no official confirmation of the discussions.
The last coalition government in Mongolia was led by the Democratic Party from 2012 to 2016. After eight years of one-party rule, this year’s elections showed voters’ desire to return to a more balanced system.
Ross Tokola, an expert on Mongolian politics at the East-West Center educational institution in Washington, said the expanded parliament and new electoral system encourage the country’s political parties “to seek greater support among young Mongolians, who make up the majority.” of the Mongolian population”.
That could lead to a new generation of Mongolian leaders playing “a greater role alongside long-standing reformers in addressing social needs and the causes of cynicism that have contributed to disillusionment among young Mongolians,” Tokola said.
Before Monday’s ceremony, a former Democratic Party lawmaker who founded her own party two years ago held a news conference to criticize the People’s Party’s allegedly unfair campaign tactics.
Oyungerel Tsedevdamba, founder and leader of the Civic Unity Party, accused the People’s Party of using state power and access to a database and government employees to give itself an unfair advantage in the race.
“The Civic Unity Party cannot and does not wish to congratulate the Mongolian People’s Party on its victory,” he said. “It is not a real victory… It is the result of intimidation and repression.”
He spoke to five other candidates from his party, which did not win any seats in the election.
Mongolia transitioned to democracy in the early 1990s, after more than six decades as a one-party communist state. This vast, sparsely populated landlocked country lies between China and Russia.
This story originally appeared on ABCNews.go.com read the full story
