Category Archives: Populism

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 →

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Stability of Presidential Election System

Posted on March 29, 2021 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes In June, Mongolians will participate in a presidential election again. The electoral system has remained largely unchanged since the first free election in 1993. In late January 2021 a conference on “Democratic Challenges in Asia and Mongolia” … Continue reading →

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Covering 2020 Election

Posted on May 24, 2020 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Mongolia Focus is facing a challenge! In all likelihood, due to COVID-19, none of our core team will be able to travel to Mongolia for the campaign, nor for the election itself. Help us, dear readers, by … Continue reading →

Posted in Author, City Planning, Democracy, eDemocracy, Foreign Policy, Ikh Khural 2020, Media and Press, Policy, Policy, Politics, Populism, Public Policy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Fascist Symbolism in Mongolia

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Julian Dierkes

By Niels Hegewisch and Julian Dierkes Recent attention to ethno-rock sensation The Hu has revived concerns about the (seeming) use of fascist iconography in Mongolian politics. While fascist symbols are immediately distasteful to Western observers, in Asia such symbols need … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, Music, Nationalism, Niels Hegewisch, Politics, Pop Culture, Populism, Protest, Social Issues, Society and Culture | Tagged | Leave a comment

A Very Premature Outlook on the 2020 Parliamentary Election

Posted on May 7, 2019 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Yes, the 2020 election is more than a year away, and, yes, many observers lament the fact that politics seems beholden to electoral cycles. But, discussions in Mongolia have started to revolve around the 2020 election, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Ikh Khural 2020, National Labor Party, Politics, Populism, Public Opinion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Likelihood of Political Renewal

Posted on April 22, 2019 by Julian Dierkes

By  Julian Dierkes Why I am generally optimistic about Mongolian developments, Mongolian politics presents a lot of challenges and the current state of affairs causes more despair than it has in the previous 12+ years that I’ve been paying attention. … Continue reading →

Posted in Constitution, Corruption, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, Ikh Khural 2020, Inequality, Judiciary, Mining Governance, Nationalism, Policy, Politics, Populism, Presidential 2021, Social Movements | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Party Implications of SME Fund Scandal

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Since late summer, I have been speculating about different scenarios to bring about a change in political culture and in the party landscape. These speculations focused on trigger evens that might lead to protests which would lead … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil Will Green Party, Constitution, Corruption, Democracy, Governance, Ikh Khural 2020, Law, National Labor Party, Policy, Politics, Populism, Protest, Social Movements | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Triggers of Upheaval

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Julian Dierkes

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, Judiciary, Politics, Populism, Protest, Public Opinion, Security Apparatus, Social Change, Social Movements, Younger Mongolians | Tagged , | Leave a comment

President Kh. Battulga addressed the Parliament

Posted on October 10, 2017 by bulgan batdorj

By Bulgan B Mongolian President Kh Battulga addressed the Parliament during the opening of the fall session on October 2, 2017. While skipping the pleasantries, President listed the major challenges that Mongolia is confronted by and his opinions on those … Continue reading →

Posted in Mining, Mining, Mining Governance, Nationalism, Politics, Populism | Tagged | Leave a comment

Beyond “Populism without Party Platforms”: Mongolians’ Politics Beyond Ulaanbaatar

Posted on July 31, 2017 by marissa smith

By Marissa Smith The campaign and election of the rough-voiced businessman-judoka Kh. Battulga to the presidency of Mongolia has elicited comparisons to Donald Trump and gestures to a global wave of “populism” from analysts and commentators, journalistic as well as … Continue reading →

Posted in Countryside, Demography, Erdenet, Kazakhs, Mongolian Diaspora, Populism | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

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 →

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My Biggest Question about the Election

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes Of course, it is interesting to speculate about the likelihood of one candidate or another winning the election. On that front, a week into the campaign, an Enkhbold victory still seems more likely, though a second round … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Politics, Populism, Protest, Social Change, Social Issues, Social Movements | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

M vs Genco

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes The MPP has selected its chairman, Enkhbold M, to be nominated as candidate in the June 26 presidential election. The DP appears to have selected Battulga Kh., pending a party congress. One question remains: Will Enkhbayar N … Continue reading →

Posted in Corruption, Democracy, Foreign Policy, International Relations, Mongolia and ..., Politics, Populism, Public Policy | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Politbarometer April 2016

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes With BULGAN B Santmaral Foundation’s Politbarometer (April 2016) remains the “go-to” political poll for Mongolia. This is because a) it is the only credible poll that has been conducted repeatedly, and b) because it is generally credible. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bulgan Batdorj, Civil Will Green Party, Ikh Khural 2016, Politics, Populism | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Resource Nationalism?

Posted on March 31, 2016 by Julian Dierkes

By Julian Dierkes One of the dominant foreign views of Mongolian politics is that they’re rife with “resource nationalism”. This perspective is reproduced in many conversations with people in the mining or financial industry and is often repeated by visiting … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Investment, Mining, Mongolia and ..., Nationalism, Policy, Politics, Populism, Social Movements | Tagged | 4 Comments