Category Archives: Democracy

New Constitutional Amendments Toward Expansion of Parliament and Proportional Representation in Parliamentary Elections

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes In mid-May it is looking like the constitution will be amended. D Amarbayasgalan has been very involved in process of proposing amendments as General Secretary of the MPP (more information about Amarbayasgalan) Үндсэн Хуулийн өөрчлөлтийн төслийг өргөн … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Elections, Ikh Khural 2024, JD Democratization, Party Politics, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Political Predictions and Why I Struggle with Making Them

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes People expect political predictions from me as a longtime Mongolia observer and country specialist. Even when I feel relatively certain of some predictions I would make, there is always that nagging doubt that strange things might happen … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Ikh Khural 2024, Law, Politics, Reflection, Research on Mongolia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Aspirational Statements as Legislation

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes With the “Protecting Human Rights on Social Media Law” we have seen another round of what seems like fairly misguided legislation. Tegshbayar has already questioned the need for an expedited process and other aspects for this law. … Continue reading →

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Flop 5 der mongolischen Politik

Posted on December 29, 2022 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Ich höre inzwischen sehr gerne Podcasts, sei es um die Bundesliga zu verfolgen, kanadische Nachrichten besser zu verstehen, oder auch Entwicklungen in Deutschland nicht ganz aus dem Auge zu verlieren. Einer meiner Lieblingspodcasts in diesem Zusammenhang ist … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Germany, History, Media and Press, Mining, Party Politics, Podcast, Politics, Social Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Challenging Supermajority

Posted on October 17, 2022 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Following the 2020 parliamentary and 2021 presidential election, there were some fears that the MPP’s electoral wins and occupation of all three highest offices would lead to some kind of one-party domination. Most readers will recall then-Pres … Continue reading →

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

Russophiles, Russophones and Russophobes

Posted on July 8, 2022 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Reactions to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine have been quite visible on Twitter. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit to Ulaanbaatar on July 5 have brought many of these reactions to the fore again. Here’s a prominent and strongly-worded … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, International Relations, Mongolia and ..., Protest, Russia | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media Notes for Future Revolution

Posted on January 6, 2022 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Two important notes up front: I cast sideways glances at Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan more than other countries, for historical/cultural similarities, resource-based development trajectories and landlocked-next-to-Russia-and-China status shared with Mongolia. I have no particular expertise on Kazakhstan. I … Continue reading →

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Search for (Oyu Tolgoi) Perfection

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes I have recently shared my perspective on the negotiations of a (new) OT Agreement. Below, I want to highlight one of the aspects that I see as bringing about this cycle, an aspect that is also prevalent … Continue reading →

Posted in Democracy, Governance, Mining Governance, Oyu Tolgoi, Party Politics, Politics, Public Policy | Tagged | Leave a comment

Presidential Election Analyses & Outlook

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

Public Podium Discussion Friday, June 11 18h (PST)/Saturday, June 12 9h (Ulaanbaatar) Program Moderator: Julian Dierkes, Univ of British Columbia Observations on the Ground Enkhtsetseg D, Open Society Forum: Domestic Election Observations Jana Zilkova, Caritas Czech Republic in Mongolia: International … Continue reading →

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EIAS Talk: Political Transformations, Upcoming Presidential Election

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

I recently discussed Mongolia’s political trajectory toward the June 9 presidential election with Lin Goethals and Allesandra Tamponi at the European Institute for Asian Studies.

Posted in Democracy, Elections, International Relations, Party Politics, Politics, Presidential 2021, Video | Leave a comment

Who is KhUN presidential candidate D. Enkhbat?

Posted on May 14, 2021 by marissa smith

By Marissa J. Smith With one party member in Parliament, the KhUN party has the right to register a candidate for the presidential elections on June 9, 2021. They announced on May 12 that D. Enkhbat would be the candidate. … Continue reading →

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Presidential Election Candidates: Initial Outlook

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

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

Guest Post: Democracy in Danger? A Court Ruling with Serious Implications for Mongolia’s Future

Posted on April 21, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

By Johann Fuhrmann and Max Duckstein The lead-up to the Mongolian presidential elections on June 9 is getting messier by the day. On April 16 the constitutional court ruled to bar the incumbent president Kh Battulga from running a second … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Democratic Party, Johann Fuhrmann, Judiciary, Law, Max Duckstein, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Politics, Presidential 2021 | Leave a comment

The Military, Populism, and Trepidation about Single-Party Rule

Posted on April 20, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes and Marissa J. Smith The constitutional amendments of Nov 2019 seemed to result from a bargain between Pres. Battulga and the MPP that would allow him to run for another term under the new six-year single term. … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Democracy, Democratic Party, Elections, History, Military, Mongolian People's Party, Party Politics, Populism, Presidential 2021 | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Constitutional Court and Gridlock in Mongolian Democracy

Posted on April 13, 2021 by marissa smith

By Bat-Orgil Altankhuyag and Marissa J. Smith As covered by Mongolia Focus, the Mongolian government made significant changes to the Constitution in 2019. This was the second time that changes have been made since the Democratic Constitution was adopted in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bat-Orgil Altankhuyag, Constitution, Democracy, Elections, Governance, Politics, Presidential 2021 | Tagged | Leave a comment