Search Results for: blank ballot

The Mechanics of a Blank Ballot

By Julian Dierkes First, the presidential election campaign was sleepy. Then it turned sleezy. Now, things got exciting because some Mongolians seem to have found a strategy to fight back against two-party dominance and the “offer” of a choice of … Continue reading

Posted in Governance, JD Democratization, Presidential 2017, Social Movements | Tagged | 1 Comment

Blank Ballots as Protest

By Julian Dierkes There does seem to be a significant level of frustration among Mongolian voters about the choices presented to them in this election. With allegations about very serious misconduct (if tape recording of Enkhbold discussing price list for … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, JD Democratization, Presidential 2017 | Tagged | 1 Comment

Guest Post: Will the parties consider what the electorate wants to see on the ballots? There is a TV show for that. 

By E Lkhagva As far as I can remember I don’t think there has been election coverage in Mongolian democratic history where the public felt there has been enough debates between candidates, real  interviews or fair coverage in general. When … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Ikh Khural 2024, KhUN, Lkhagva Erdene, Media and Press, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics, Younger Mongolians | Leave a comment

Guest Post: Beyond the Ballot – Mongolia’s General Election Commission

By Jessica Keegan Mongolia’s General Election Commission (GEC) has been in existence since 1992 and is responsible for administering free, fair and credible elections. As with any young democracy, the institution has at times struggled to keep up with Mongolia’s … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, Jessica Keegan, Presidential 2017, Public Opinion, Public Service | Leave a comment

Party Support Across Aimags and the City

By Julian Dierkes In 1996, the predecessor(s) of the DP won 50 of the 76 parliamentary seats at a time when P Ochirbat was still serving as president, having been swept into office by the democratic revolution. That was the … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Mongolian People's Party, National Labor Party, Party Politics, Politics, Presidential 2021 | Tagged | Leave a comment

More on the DP’s Platform – Future Directions in Human Rights and Governance?

By Marissa J. Smith Last week I wrote a post overviewing the final section of the Democratic Party candidate S. Erdene’s campaign platform. I have had a chance since to read the remainder of the program closely, and am struck … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, Governance, Human Rights, Marissa Smith, Mongolian Diaspora, Politics, Presidential 2021 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Shifts in Voting Behaviour

By Julian Dierkes Much of election-day exit poll analysis in Germany focuses on “Wählerwanderung”, i.e. voter migration. That requires pretty good and representative data to do, something that has never quite been possible in Mongolia. That secret poll data that … Continue reading

Posted in Democratic Party, Elections, JD Democratization, Mongolian People's Party, Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, National Labor Party, Party Politics, Presidential 2017, Presidential 2021, Protest | Tagged | Leave a comment

Presidential Election Candidates: Initial Outlook

By Julian Dierkes Before the presidential election campaign gets started in earnest, I want to offer my sense of the candidates, issues, and some thoughts about possible outcomes. Candidates have now been nominated. In one of the great surprises of … Continue reading

Posted in Democracy, Democratic Party, Elections, Mongolian People's Party, National Labor Party, Politics, Presidential 2021 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Triggers of Upheaval

By Julian Dierkes The sense of political crisis and frustration is rampant in Mongolia at the moment. But, there does not seem to be any widespread mobilization against the government, either main party, or the political system. Whether that is … Continue reading

Posted in Air Pollution, Corruption, Democracy, Human Rights, Ikh Khural 2020, Inequality, JD Democratization, Judiciary, Party Politics, Politics, Populism, Protest, Public Opinion, Security Apparatus, Social Change, Social Movements, Younger Mongolians | Tagged | Leave a comment

Norwegian Wealth

By Julian Dierkes One of my all-time favourite authors is 村上春樹. He rose to fame initially with his book, Norwegian Wood (ノルウェイの森). That was a reference to a Beatles song, of course. And thus the title of this post, combining literature, … Continue reading

Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Development, EITI, Governance, Mining, Mining Governance, Policy, Politics, Public Policy, Public Service, Sovereign Wealth Fund | Tagged | 1 Comment

Republished: Mongolia – An Unexpected Bastion of Democracy Thanks to Its Youth

A child walks past Mongolians holding up banners at a protest against offshore account holders in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in March. (AP Photo/Ganbat Namjilsangarav) Julian Dierkes, University of British Columbia By some accounts, democracy is under pressure. Freedom House, the American … Continue reading

Posted in Populism, Presidential 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Who Abstained in the Run-Off?

By Julian Dierkes On the day before the second round of the presidential election, my biggest question was about the movement to encourage voters to submit blank ballots, essentialy voting none-of-the-above. We have known since election night that just under … Continue reading

Posted in Gobi, Presidential 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Big Questions on Voting Day

By Julian Dierkes The run-off in the 2017 presidential contest is upon us. Since June 26 there has been no campaigning, but a number of developments with a likely impact on the run-off result have occurred. 1. White Ballot Movement … Continue reading

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I Don’t Understand the Calculations Behind Electoral Fraud

By Julian Dierkes I was shocked during election observation on June 26, again, how much of a contrast there is between the diligence and care with which polling stations and voting procedures are run, and the public perception of the … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, JD Democratization, Presidential 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Ganbaatar Voters in 2nd Round

By Julian Dierkes Ganbaatar received roughly 30% of the votes in the June 26 presidential election. One of the big questions about the July 7 2nd Round of voting is thus whom those Ganbaatar voters will support. Enkhbayar Negotiations To … Continue reading

Posted in Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, Presidential 2017 | Tagged | Leave a comment