Calls by Mongolia’s ruling party for a recount of votes at some polling stations Friday delayed results in sharply contested legislative elections that centered on how to spread the wealth from the poor but fast-growing country’s mining boom. The Mongolia People’s Party said it asked for the recount because discrepancies turned up in vote totals tabulated by machines and then counted by hand at some polling stations. The request sent political leaders huddling with the General Election Commission, which had been expected to announce the results from Thursday’s voting on Friday morning.
The delay is a reminder of the young democracy’s bare-knuckled politics. The last poll four years ago touched off riots that left four dead after the opposition Democratic Party claimed voting irregularities. To avoid a repeat, the government imported the electronic voting machines, only to have the main political parties ask that the votes also be counted by hand to corroborate results.
Both the ruling party and the opposition Democrats told voters they were better positioned to use revenues generated by mining mammoth reserves of coal, copper and gold to create jobs and narrow a rich-poor gap in the landlocked country between China and Russia. Neither main party was expected to win an outright majority in the 76-seat Parliament, likely giving smaller parties a role in setting up a governing coalition.
Full Article: Mongolia vote snags as ruling party seeks recount | Fox News.
