After over two weeks of continuous protests against corruption – centered specifically on Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai – Mongolia’s parliament voted to oust the prime minister in a no-confidence vote.
The protests, driven by young Mongolians, began after videos appeared on social media showcasing the lavish lifestyle of Oyun-Erdene’s son and his fiancé. In a country marked by embedded corruption and deep inequality, public rage reached a boiling point over the display of luxury vacations and designer handbags.
The protests, which began as a disorganized expression of discontent, eventually converged on three demands: the resignation of Oyun-Erdene, the ouster of the coalition government he led, and a pledge not to amend the constitution.
The first demand will be fulfilled after the no-confidence vote. Oyun-Erdene attempted to resist calls for his resignation, staying silent for days after the protests began. When he did speak to the media, the prime minister denied any wrongdoing, saying he would submit to an investigation by Mongolia’s Anti-Corruption Agency. He also implied that the protests were being manipulated by vested interests in the mining sector who disapproved of his government’s attempts to redistribute profits from Mongolia’s natural resources.
Oyun-Erdene’s hand was forced, however, and he agreed to call a no-confidence vote. On June 2, the day before the vote, he defended his record and his government in an address to the State Great Hural. “I personally have not participated in a single appointment at a state-owned company, a single government tender, a single loan from a government special fund or a state-funded bank,” Oyun-Erdene avowed. Instead, he claimed credit for “exposing” these practices, saying he had “consistently fought for e-governance, transparency, anti-corruption, and against vested interests.”
He also repeated his insistence that those “vested interests” were manipulating the protests to removed him from office. “I believe that the wise Mongolian people see that the political attacks on the prime minister and the coalition government in recent days… are more intense than during the hot days of the election competition, which is a clear indication of the great unity of interests, both overt and covert,” Oyun-Erdene said.
On June 3, just 44 members of Mongolia’s 126-seat State Great Hural voted in support of Oyun-Erdene. He accepted the results, saying, “It has been an honor to serve my country and people during some of the most challenging times in recent history, including the global pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and trade wars.” He also issued an oblique warning: “No matter how intricately woven, a web of self-interest can never overcome the will of the people.”
Oyun-Erdene will remain prime minister until the State Great Hural selects a replacement. He became prime minister in January 2021 – ironically, after another series of protests had forced his predecessor, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, to resign.
Khurelsukh is now the president, and speculation is rife that he will attempt to capitalize on the political instability to consolidate his own power – by helping steer the selection of a new prime minister, and perhaps even guiding through a change of the constitution that will let him run for a second term. That was the impetus behind the protesters’ demand that the constitution not be amended.
As for the protesters’ second demand, the fall of the coalition government, that happened earlier. Mongolia had been governed by a grand coalition of the Mongolian People’s Party (the party of Oyun-Erdene and Khurelsukh), the Democratic Party (the MPP’s main rival), and the newer HUN Party. When some DP legislators offered support for the protests, the MPP kicked the party out of the ruling coalition, effectively ending the arrangement. The MPP holds 68 seats in the legislature; the DP has 42, the HUN Party eight, and other parties combined hold the final eight.
Now all eyes will turn to the question of who will replace Oyun-Erdene, a topic that had started to spark political wrangling even before his official ouster.
