Ruling party’s Khurelsukh wins Mongolian presidential elections

Beijing, Jun 10 (EFE).- Candidate Ukhnaa Khurelsukh won Mongolia’s presidential elections with 67.9 percent of the votes, according to preliminary results reported Thursday by Mongolian state news agency Montsame.

Khurelsukh, of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party and heir to the former Communist Party, said in a speech delivered when preliminary results were known that he will work for the development of the nation “the unity of the people and the welfare of the country.”

According to the source, Khurelsukh — prime minister between 2017 and 2021 — received 815,267 votes (67.9 percent of the ballots), while his main rival, Dangaasuren Enkhbat (from an opposition coalition), won 242,257 votes, more than 20.1 percent.

Sodnomzundui Erdene, from the Democratic Party, to which outgoing Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga belongs, obtained 72,001 votes, equivalent to almost 6 percent.

Data published by Montsame shows the turnout was almost 59 percent (1,203,238 voters of the 2,041,982 registered in the electoral roll). More than 70,000 voters opted for a blank vote.

Both the head of the country and the government will have the same political sign, after years of disagreements between the democratic party of outgoing President Battulga, and the government people’s party, which retook its parliamentary majority in June 2020.

The elections had 43 observers from foreign and international organizations and 40 registered local journalists.

Preventive measures against the coronavirus starred on election day, which put into practice the use of masks, safety distancing or taking the temperature in schools.

“The temporary ban on the sale of alcohol between Tuesday and Thursday also played a role in the smooth running of the elections,” the agency added.

After the reform approved by the Mongolian parliament in 2019, Khurelsukh — forced to resign as prime minister in January after a wave of protests — will be able to lead the country for only one term, recently extended from four to six years. EFE

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