Mongolian President Attempts to Dissolve Opposing Party

Mongolian Parliament members convene in the Government Palace in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Wikimedia Commons).

Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga issued an ordinance on April 18 that called for the dissolution of his primary political opposition, the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP). The ordinance, which appeared on the president’s official website alongside a video of Battulga presenting the order, accused the MPP of “unlawfully [transferring] the constitutionally proclaimed state-oriented governance system to a party-oriented governance system.” 

Battulga also claimed that the MPP has adopted a military structure, hampered the functions of the National Security Council, and attempted to disunify his political party, the Democratic Party.

The MPP is the country’s oldest political party, with its roots in Marxist-Lenin ideals from the period of Soviet rule in Mongolia. The party currently holds a parliamentary supermajority, which has been butting heads with Battulga ever since the Parliament amended the Constitution to reduce presidential powers in 2019. 

With presidential elections coming up in June, the Constitutional amendments have come back into play, as Parliament decided to lower the presidential term limit to one six-year term. This means that politicians are debating whether Battulga can run for re-election because it is unclear whether the amendment applies to former and current presidents. 

When the ordinance was broadcast live on Facebook, it received mixed feedback from the public. Many citizens have been wary of the MPP’s attempts to control both the presidency and hold a supermajority in Parliament. However, critics believe Battulga’s decree will threaten the democratic process in Mongolia, as banning opposing political groups is often the first step to establishing a dictatorship. 

The most popular public view, however, holds that politicians are neglecting the COVID-19 crisis in Mongolia and instead focusing on the minutiae of the presidential election in June. 

The increasing public resentment towards the government’s COVID-19 response has been exacerbated by previous concerns with Mongolia's governance. In January, former Mongolian Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa stepped down in the midst of civil unrest, as citizens began taking to the streets in peaceful protests against the government’s mishandling of the COVID-19 crisis.

Protestors, who objected primarily to quarantine protocols, cited the government’s previous attempts to limit individual freedoms. “The Mongolian constitution allows the people to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression, and press. Unfortunately, there has been significant action from the government and the judicial aids to implement authoritarian rules,” said Bat-Orgil Turbold, an independent candidate who ran during the 2020 Parliamentary elections. 

Despite public outcry and the worsening COVID-19 situation in Mongolia, the ordinance has been forwarded to the Supreme Court, where the judiciary will decide whether Battulga’s attempt to secure more power is constitutional.