Interesting Constellations of Candidates

There are always some interesting individuals, opposing races, and categories of candidates to be found among a number of candidates as large as 498 in this election.

Wrestlers

Bat-Erdene B (incumbent, MPP, Khentii, 40)

Sumiyabazar D (incumbent, MPP, Songinokhairkhan 73)

Sukhbat A (MPP, Tuv, 29)

Asashoryu (former Sumo Grand Champion) not a candidate himself, but clearly supporting the DP (unlike his brother, Sumiyabazar who is running as an incumbent for the MPP)

Judo

Tuvshinbayar N (DP, Bayankhongor, 8), winner of a gold medal in Beijing and silver medal in London Olympics. Obviously he’s running for the DP in Bayankhongor where “Genco” Battulga is politically prominent, who is also chairman of the Judo Federation.

Singers

“Nara” Narantuya M (Independent, Bayangol 69)

Erdenetungalag G (DP, Selenge, 26)

Javkhlan S (Independent, Bayanzurkh 54)

Relatives

There are a number of relatives of various relations in races, sometimes even facing each other.

Byambatsogt S (incumbent, MPP, Khovd, 35) and Batsogt D (DP, Khovd, 35) are married to sisters, making them “Schwippschwager” to each other  (brother of your wife’s sister, in German, is there an English term?)

Batsambuu Sh (MPP, Zavkhan, 18) and Saikhansambuu Sh (Independent & Great Coalition, Zavkhan, 18) are brothers running against each other.

Arvin D (DP, Bayanzurkh, 54) and Anujin P (MPP, Bayanzurkh, 54) are not blood relatives but related by marriages. Anujin is famous for her TV show “Mongol tulgatan 100 erhem” (100 Respected People of Mongolia). Arvin was a member of parliament for the MPP before switching to the DP after the 2012 election.

Thanks

UBC’s geology grad student Enkhgerel G pointed out a number of these candidates to me.

About Julian Dierkes

Julian Dierkes is a sociologist by training (PhD Princeton Univ) and a Mongolist by choice and passion since around 2005. He teaches in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He toots @jdierkes@sciences.social.
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