It appears that President Elbegdorj has gotten his way and former President Enkhbayar will not be able to stand in the parliamentary elections this coming Thursday. Enkhbayar’s appeal to the Constitutional Court will not be heard until tomorrow, a mere two days before the election. At that point, the Constitutional Court will decide whether or not to even accept and review his petition. With the way things have been handled thus far, Enkhbayar will not be a candidate for his Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party. One would think that corrupting the democratic process to this point would be enough, but the current Mongolian government has gone even further. The Sukhhbaatar District Court has ruled that Enkhbayar cannot leave the city until his trial thereby preventing him from campaigning for his party in the countryside, Elbegdorj’s homeland.
Before the ruling, Enkhbayar had been traveling to the countryside regularly and making excellent progress for his party. Warmly received everywhere that he campaigned he is now penned into campaigning within the city and, once again, prevented from truly challenging Elbegdorj. Enkhbayar continues to be ranked amongst the top politicians in Mongolia. A recent poll by Sant Maral asked “Who is a politician you want to see more involved within the government and making changes?” as well as “Who is in your opinion a top politician in this country?” Enkhbayar was the number one choice to both these questions.
Full Article: A Crucial Week In Mongolia – Forbes.
