MONGOLIA: Battle of two in a tight presidential election which pits incumbent president N. Enkhbayar against political veteran Ts. Elbegdorj
Record ID:
566585
MONGOLIA: Battle of two in a tight presidential election which pits incumbent president N. Enkhbayar against political veteran Ts. Elbegdorj
- Title: MONGOLIA: Battle of two in a tight presidential election which pits incumbent president N. Enkhbayar against political veteran Ts. Elbegdorj
- Date: 24th May 2009
- Summary: ULAN BATOR, MONGOLIA (MAY 22, 2009) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT BUILDING IN SUKHBAATAR SQUARE MONGOLIAN NATIONAL FLAG BEHIND STATUE OF DAMDIN SUKHBAATAR PEOPLE WALKING UNDER CAMPAIGN POSTER FOR PRESIDENT NAMBARIIN ENKHBAYAR YOUNG WOMAN WALKING PAST POSTER FOR ENKHBAYAR POSTER FOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE TSAKHIAGIIN ELBEGDORJ OUTSIDE DEMOCRATIC PARTY HEADQUARTERS DEMOCRATIC PARTY FLAGS AND POSTER FOR ELBEGDORJ ULAN BATOR, MONGOLIA (MAY 21, 2009) (REUTERS) ELBEGDORJ (LEFT) AND ENKHBAYAR SHAKING HANDS AHEAD OF TELEVISED DEBATE ULAN BATOR, MONGOLIA (MAY 22, 2009) (REUTERS) DIRECTOR OF SANT MARAL FOUNDATION LUVSANDENDEV SUMATI WALKING TO BOOKSHELF AND PICKING UP A BOOK SUMATI BROWSING BOOK BOOK COVER READING "MEASURING CORRUPTION" (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR OF SANT MARAL FOUNDATION LUVSANDENDEV SUMATI SAYING "Our polls that we are doing since April of last year show that 70 percent of Mongolian population is considering that our society is more unjust, is unjust. And in fact, this point was picked up by Mr. Elbegdorj very smartly, so his key election campaign is, let's make our society more just, more justice. Also, he is appealing to the necessity of changes in the society, and because of that, as Mr. Enkhbayar is linked to the political establishment as such, so he is in a bad shape, so what I'm telling about protest votes, is that let's change the system, let's make our society more just, less corruption, and all that hit him badly." ULAN BATOR, MONGOLIA (MAY 21, 2009) (REUTERS) ELECTION RALLY FOR ELBEGDORJ IN PROGRESS PEOPLE WAVING CAMPAIGN FLAGS WITH TEXT "CHANGE" IN MONGOLIAN ELBEGDORJ ADDRESSING CROWDS ON STAGE PEOPLE WAVING CAMPAIGN FLAGS WITH TEXT "CHANGE" IN MONGOLIAN (SOUNDBITE) (Mongolian) 70-YEAR-OLD PENSIONER SANJMYATAVIIN RAVJAA SAYING "The poverty of the Mongolian people needs to be done away with, and the wealth and resources need to be distributed and shared." "GER" DISTRICT ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF ULAN BATOR CITY "GER" DISTRICT BY HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BLOCKS TRADITIONAL MONGOLIAN "GERS" WITH DEMOCRATIC PARTY FLAGS ON THE ROOFS
- Embargoed: 8th June 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Mongolia
- Country: Mongolia
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAAGLQUPOF3SFMIMKZZC6962M5M
- Story Text: Mongolians head to the polls on Sunday (May 24) to elect a new president in a tight race that pits incumbent president Nambariin Enkhbayar against Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, a political veteran who has twice served as prime minister.
While the office of president is largely ceremonial, the contest over that symbol of national unity has become a close battle between Enkhbayar, of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), and opposition Democratic Party (DP) candidate Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, taking political analysts, who predicted an easy win for Enkhbayar, by surprise.
Frustration over rampant poverty and perceptions of official corruption appear to be working in favour of challenger Elbegdorj, says Luvsandendev Sumati, director of the Sant Maral Foundation, a group that does polling and surveys.
A poll by the foundation in late April showed that 37 percent of voters favoured Elbegdorj, while just over 36 percent would vote for Enkhbayar.
Polling is not permitted during the seven days prior to the election, and exit polls are also banned, but Sumati says there are signs Elbegdorj has been gaining among constituencies that have traditionally favoured the ruling MPRP, including the nomadic herders who make up much of the population.
Sumati says he believes many of the votes in favour of Elbegdorj will be cast in protest against the current president and his government.
"Our polls that we are doing since April of last year show that 70 percent of Mongolian population is considering that our society is more unjust, is unjust. And in fact, this point was picked up by Mr. Elbegdorj very smartly, so his key election campaign is, let's make our society more just, more justice. Also, he is appealing to the necessity of changes in the society, and because of that, as Mr. Enkhbayar is linked to the political establishment as such, so he is in a bad shape, so what I'm telling about protest votes, is that let's change the system, let's make our society more just, less corruption, and all that hit him badly," he said.
Nowhere is the sense of frustration more visible than in the poor outlying districts of the capital Ulan Bator, where many live without running water or sewage treatment.
At a rally for Elbegdorj in the final hours of campaigning, residents of the dusty Ulan Bator suburbs greeted his slogan of "Change" with loud cheers.
Sanjmyataviin Ravjaa, 70, a retired herder wearing a traditional long silk cloak, known as a deel, said tackling poverty was key for the two candidates.
"The poverty of the Mongolian people needs to be done away with, and the wealth and resources need to be distributed and shared," he said.
Mongolia, whose annual per-capita income is about 1,200 U.S. dollars (USD), hopes to use its deposits of copper, gold, uranium, lead, zinc, and coal to pull its nearly 3 million people out of poverty.
In the meantime nearly 1 billion (USD) in foreign loans and grants are helping the vast, windswept country wedged between Russia and China, through a collapse in mineral prices, particularly for its biggest export, copper, that has seriously dented income.
An estimated one third of the population is living below the poverty line.
Urbanisation is gathering speed and some 60 percent of the population is now expected to be living in urban areas as the traditional nomadic lifestyle on the eroding grasslands fails to provide them with a lifeline.
"Ger districts" formed of traditional tent homes now circle the capital, as herders and rural residents flock to the city in search of a better life.
These impoverished areas are fertile ground for instability and social tensions and the leadership will be hoping to avoid any repeat of the type of unrest and ensuing legal struggles that followed last year's parliamentary elections, in which at least five died.
Allegations of cheating led stone-throwing mobs to set the MPRP headquarters on fire in a night of violence that prompted the president to impose a four-day state of emergency for the first time in Mongolia's history.
But many are still not convinced Sunday's election will be free of foul play.
"It is unlikely this election will be fair. But the ratings of the Democratic Party candidate are very high, that is my only hope, even with a lot of fraud and cheating he (Enkhbayar) might not win. But I really doubt it is going to be fair," said 63-year-old Tseveenii Budee.
With the two candidates locked in a dead heat on the eve of the election, voter turnout may come to determine the winner, says Sumati.
"What might change the election outcome is only feet. What I mean is election turnout. The higher turnout the better chances probably the Democrats will have because MPRP and their candidates were always better organized so their supporters are voting in an organized manner. But Democratic Party supporters, they are rather those who think 'well, should I go or not and perhaps there is something better to do' so if election turnover will be around 80 percent, it's definitely more supporters of the Democratic Party," he said.
Turnout in the 2005 election was 74.9 percent, down eight percent from 82.9 in 2001, the Mongolian electoral commission said.
However, despite a general trend for lower voter turnout, the commission is expecting the numbers to be high this time round, which may spell trouble for Enkhbayar. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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