Monthly Archives: November 2014

Policy Series

Over the past several weeks, discussions in “Little Mongolia” in UBC’s Choi Bldg about Mongolian politics have heated up in parallel with the turmoil the Mongolian government is experiencing. Mendee (UBC Political Science PhD candidate), Damdinnyam Gongor (UBC Mining Engineering … Continue reading

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Mongolia – From Sino-Russian Buffer to Conversion Zone

Last autumn, Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin made separate visits to Mongolia, met for a tri-lateral (Russia-China-Mongolia) summit in the Tajikistan capital of Dushanbe during the leadership summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and dispatched their vice-foreign ministers … Continue reading

Posted in Asia Pacific Memo, China, Foreign Policy, Mongolia and ..., Russia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Recent Political Turmoil Homemade

By Julian Dierkes I find it noticeable that the recent political turmoil (I hesitate to call it a crisis as a change of government is an endorsement of democratic institutions in some ways, and the state budget was passed relatively … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, International Relations, Media and Press, Mongolia and ..., Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

A Professional Minister vs. Professional Bureaucrats

The political climate in Ulaanbaatar is now in favour of the pro-professional cabinet.  President, Chairman, members of parliament, and even well-known columnist Baabar advised Mr. New Prime Minister to recruit professionals outside from the parliament and to tame the parochial interests.  This is … Continue reading

Posted in Governance, Party Politics, Politics, Public Service | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Little Correction to Mr. Enkhsaikhan’s Push for Constitutional Reform

By MENDEE Jargalsaikhan Coinciding with the birth of New Prime Minister, Mr. Enkhsaikhan, former Prime Minister and one of the political heavyweights, made an interesting presentation at the research workshop on the “Constitutional Reform” – link. He was sharing his view … Continue reading

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Saikhanbileg Elected Prime Minister

On the morning of November 21, the Mongolian parliament elected Ch Saikhanbileg as the new prime minister. He was elected by a 42:2 vote which means that 32 members of the State Great Khural were absent for the voting. While … Continue reading

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Political Mood Amid Chaos

By Julian Dierkes As always, I was thrilled to have a chance to visit Ulaanbaatar, even if it was for a mere 40 hours. Political Mood: DP Partying Like It’s 1998 Most friends and acquaintances I spoke to are puzzled … Continue reading

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Side Notes on Very Brief Visit

By Julian Dierkes On recent visits I have almost always try to note the small differences I see in Ulaanbaatar (see, for example, “New to Ulaanbaatar in 2014“). Here are some very few ones I noticed on this visit: Construction … Continue reading

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An Outlook on an Amarjargal or Saikhanbileg-led Government

By Julian Dierkes The signs at the moment suggest that Saikhanbileg will end up as the next prime minister of Mongolia. Given his past association with Pres. Elbegdorj, it would seem like his nomination to parliament should go through. That … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Will Green Party, Democratic Party, Mongolian People's Party, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 1 Comment

Another Nomination for Prime Minister: Ch Saikhanbileg

And for another twist… After the DP caucus in the State Great Khural had nominated R Amarjargal, the party itself now seems to have given the nod to Ch Saikhanbileg. Of course, his election to the prime ministership still requires … Continue reading

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Nominated for Prime Minister: R Amarjargal

On November 12 the State Great Khural Democratic Party caucus selected a candidate for prime minister, Rinchinnyam Amarjargal. This vote came a mere week after former Prime Minister N Altankhuyag lost a vote of no-confidence on November 5. This does … Continue reading

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Guessing the Next PM

By Julian Dierkes In response to some discussions on Twitter, I now offer this prediction board in three categories, time to election of new PM, coalition that will elect the new PM, and the new PM. While individuals may choose to … Continue reading

Posted in Civil Will Green Party, Curios, Democratic Party, Mongolian People's Party, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 3 Comments

What/Who Comes After Altankhuyag

By Julian Dierkes In the morning of Nov 5, 2014, 11 of the 17 members of the standing committee of the State Great Khural voted in support of a vote of no confidence in PM Altankhuyag. This passed the motion … Continue reading

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Political Turmoil – November 2014

This is approximately the third time that the Altankhuyag government seems to have faced serious opposition in parliament as well as in the DP itself. PM Altankhuyag has been surprisingly and impressively skilled at staying in the PM’s position despite … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | 4 Comments