Mongolia’s former leader Nambar Enkhbayar said Tuesday a decision barring him from running in upcoming elections was “illegal”, as his corruption trial was postponed for the third time. Enkhbayar — who had planned to run in parliamentary polls on June 28 before being barred from doing so last week — faces five counts of graft dating back to his time as prime minister and president of the impoverished country. But on Tuesday his first hearing was postponed for the third time after he complained of not having enough time to go over the case files and because his lawyer had left the city. “The election committee denied my application to be a candidate. That was illegal so I gave a letter to the Constitutional Court to reconsider my candidacy for the election,” he told reporters outside court in Ulan Bator.
Mongolia’s Constitutional Court is an entity that settles legal disputes. The country’s election committee last week denied Enkhbayar’s application to run in the polls on the grounds that he did not meet the necessary qualifications to become a candidate. The former president — who is head of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party — was rejected based on an election law that states that a candidate must display proper experience, education and commitment to the country.
Full Article: Mongolia’s Ex-Leader Says Election Decision ‘Illegal’ | The Jakarta Globe.