Mongolia: Former PM, Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, wins presidential election

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Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, presidential candidate of the Mongolian People’s Party, attends a campaign rally ahead of the presidential election, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia June 5, 2021. [Picture: REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj]

Former Prime Minister Ukhnaa Khurelsukh has won Mongolia’s presidential election, National News Agency, Montsame reported, citing preliminary results.

Khurelsukh won with 99.3 per cent of the polling stations counted, the candidate of the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) secured about 68 per cent of votes, Montsame reported.

The election authority was due to announce the official final results by Thursday afternoon.

National Labour Party’s Dangaasuren Enkhbat received about 20.1 per cent of votes while the Democratic Party’s Sodnomzunduin Erdene only secured six per cent.

Khurelsukh would replace Khaltmaa Battulga of the Democratic Party, who had taken office in 2017 and was not allowed to run due to 2019 amendments.

The amended constitution states that a new president would be appointed for a single six-year term.

Khurelsukh resigned as prime minister in January following protests against his government’s pandemic response, which he claimed had been orchestrated by Battulga.

Mongolia was a semi-presidential republic with a population of about 3.3 million which lies between Russia and China.

[NAN]