By Julian Dierkes
My sense is that there is not only significant frustration with the concrete implementation of democracy and its institutions in Mongolia, but more specifically with the two big political parties, MAHAH.
One of the frustrations I have heard regularly recently comes especially from young people who see the DP in particular as unable to refresh itself through leadership change and to thus represent the views and voices of younger voters.
I will therefore look quite keenly at the results of the June 29 election for an indication of this kind of generational frustration.
Any Indication of Changing of Guard in DP
The past four years of DP-led governments have been turbulent in part due to the internal party dynamics of the party where faction leaders have often seemed to be looking out much more for themselves personally, than for the party, or the nation.
Given the first-past-the-post electoral system, this election will give some constituencies the opportunity to judge some of these prominent DP leaders or their performance.
While someone like “Genco” Battulag seems to be fairly firmly ensconced in Bayankhongor and it would be quite an upset if L Eldev-Ochir managed to beat him in constituency 9.
Speaker of the UIX, Z Enkhbold, has a much tougher battle on his hands in Bayangol (70). He is running against incumbent D Lundevsanjan (MPP). But it also appears that independent candidate X Gankhuyag has made quite a push in this constituency, possibly making this one of the most competitive 3-way races.
Battling it out in Bayangol: Kh Gankhuyag looking over Z Enkhbold's shoulder pic.twitter.com/DECqY8bFOT
— Julian Dierkes (@jdierkes) June 28, 2016
Former PM N Altankhuyag is running in one of only two constituencies of only two candidates. That should give him a pretty good chance to be elected. PM Ch Saikhanbileg’s chances should also be good in Bayanzurkh. Frm foreign minister L Bold may have a bit of a tougher race in Khan-Uul, but he is a fairly effective campaigner.
So, among the prominent DP incumbents, Z Enkhbold and Genco may be most interesting to watch for an indication of some kind of changing-of-the-guard that is enforced by the electorate rather than through internal party processes.
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