Victory Claimed in Mongolian Election
Victory claimed in Mongolian elections
May 23, 2005
https://tvnz.co.nz/view/news_world_story_skin/562840%3fformat=html
Socialist former prime minister Nambar Enkhbayar claimed victory in Mongolia's presidential election, with voters expressing hopes for stability after a politically rocky year.
Enkhbayar's Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party said it had secured the 50% of the vote needed to avoid a runoff and members gathered at party headquarters to celebrate, state television reported.
Enkhbayar, who served as parliamentary chairman and whose ex-communist party brands itself socialist and democratic, told television that his main rival had telephoned him to concede defeat.
Mendsaikhan Enkhsaikhan of the Democratic Party had offered his congratulations, Enkhbayar said.
Official results were not expected until early Tuesday.
If confirmed the winner, Enkhbayar will replace President Natsagiin Bagabandi, a former communist whose second term in the fledgling democracy ends this month.
The vote was only the fourth presidential race in the vast country of nomads and grasslands, which embraced democracy 16 years ago.
Besides Enkhbayar and Enkhsaikhan - the chairman of parliament's standing committee for security and diplomacy - two other candidates were running.
About 1.3 million voters, many dressed in colourful traditional garb, were expected to have cast their ballots at more than 1,600 polling stations across the country.
"We need a steady state. The president plays a big role in this," said an 85-year-old woman who was among the first to vote in the capital.
Legislative elections last June failed to produce a clear majority, triggering a standoff between the People's Revolutionary Party and the Democratic Coalition.
In a compromise move, Tsakhia Elbegdorj, a liberal from the coalition, was appointed prime minister and Enkhbayar was made parliamentary chairman.
If Enkhbayar becomes president, he and his party are expected to put pressure on Elbegdorj's government.
His victory could set the scene for further confrontation as it will likely result in the liberal coalition having to work with a socialist president, analysts say.
Enkhbayar's election will also tip the balance of power decisively in the socialist party's favour, giving the People's Revolutionary Party control of both the presidency and the parliament's chairmanship.
The winner needs to get more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate reaches the threshold, a run-off election is to be held on June 5.
Independent opinion polls before the vote showed Enkhbayar was tipped to win by a clear majority and Enkhsaikhan looked set to come in second with 26% of the votes.
Enkhbayar has vowed to work for solidarity and economic development for the largely rural country.
"Mongolia must be developed. For this, we need a big dream," Enkhbayar had said in a televised debate among candidates last week, the country's first.
His rival, Enkhsaikahn, promised to punish corrupt officials.
Voters are also hoping the new president would help reduce high unemployment and inflation as well as curb corruption.
In the run up to elections, the capital saw protests by demonstrators demanding an end to corruption and a more transparent electoral system. They have also held sit-ins in front of Government House, and hurled eggs and tomatoes at the building.
No protests were seen in recent days.
The turnout on Sunday, however, appeared to be less than that of parliament elections last year.
Many Mongolians said they were fed up with elections, after last year's legislative elections, and by the recent months of campaigning.
The election was watched by about 100 international observers from countries including Britain, Japan and the US.
Until 1989, Mongolia was ruled for 70 years under a communist dictatorship imposed by the Soviet Union.
Source: Reuters