Defending democracy and the constitution in Mongolia
28 April 2021
The Socialist International rejects the unconstitutional attempts by President Battulga Khaltmaa in Mongolia to disband the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) by a presidential decree. In taking this anti-democratic and anti-constitutional step, he has irresponsibly provoked a potential crisis at a time when the country needs to unite and confront the health, economic and social challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
The SI-member MPP, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, has overseen the transition of Mongolia into a multi-party democracy and was overwhelmingly backed by the Mongolian people as it won a parliamentary majority in elections last year. The accusations made by the president against the MPP of manipulating the constitutional court and militarising the state are not justified or backed up by evidence. Presidential elections are due in June this year, and in line with the constitutional amendment that he himself signed, the current president cannot stand for reelection. President Battulga Khaltmaa, in seeking to ban the MPP and thereby preventing Mongolia’s largest party from presenting a candidate for the presidency, is undermining democracy and the right of the Mongolian people to freely elect their head of state.
The SI will continue to be vigilant around the situation in Mongolia and offers its support to the MPP in the face of this illegal decree. We are confident that the MPP will continue to govern in the interests of all the Mongolian people and look forward to a free and fair presidential election in which the MPP will be allowed to participate, and a peaceful transition of power to the duly elected president.