Presidential elections were held in Mongolia on 9 June 2021. The result was a victory for former prime minister Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh of the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), who received 72% of the valid vote. The elections were considered free and fair by OSCE. However, there was controversy as several opposition candidates were disqualified and former president Khaltmaagiin Battulga was barred from running for a second term.
Background
2020 parliamentary election
In the 2020 parliamentary election, the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) won a landslide victory, winning a supermajority of 62 seats in the State Great Khural. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), won 11 seats, while the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) and the newcomer National Labour Party each won a single seat. As a result, four political parties with parliamentary seats were eligible to compete in the upcoming 2021 presidential elections.
Despite increasing their seats from 8 to 11, the DP faced a heavy defeat, as all of its incumbent lawmakers except Bökhchuluuny Pürevdorj lost re-election. Party chairman Sodnomzunduin Erdene also lost his seat in the 4th Bayangol district to the MPP. Following the wipeout, Erdene resigned as party chairman and transferred interim roles to MP-elect Tsevegdorjyn Tuvaan. The party was left weakened by the electoral defeat and internally fractured between various pro and anti-Battulga factions due to the 2019 constitutional crisis.
Resignation of Khurelsukh
In late January 2021, MPP Chairman and PM Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh resigned during his second term after two days of protest against government handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Khurelsukh blamed incumbent president Khaltmaagiin Battulga, member of the Democratic Party for inciting protests. This ultimately ended the close relationship between Khurelsukh and Battulga, and kicked off a showdown between Mongolia's two most powerful men.
Khurelsukh's shock resignation led to the collapse of his second cabinet and the appointment of MPP MP Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene as the next prime minister. Khurelsukh remained as chairman of the MPP, leaving many political analysts to speculate that his resignation was an excuse for him to leave the office of prime minister and bid for the presidency.
On 16 April 2021, the Constitutional Court officially countered president Battulga's claims that he should be able to run for a second term. Two days later, Battulga issued an emergency decree to disband the MPP "in order to safeguard the sovereignty and democracy of the country" after the MPP passed amendments to the constitution. The constitutional amendments, which took effect in May 2020, stipulated that the Mongolian president could hold office only for a single term of six years, making Battulga ineligible to re-run in the 2021 presidential election. The State Great Khural did not accept his decree.
Electoral system
Following the 2019 constitutional amendments, the president is elected using the two-round system for a six-year term and may only serve one term. Previously, the term was four years, renewable once. Political parties with representation in the State Great Khural are allowed to nominate candidates. The elected president must resign from any political party before their inauguration. Presidents can be removed through a two-thirds majority vote by the State Great Khural if found guilty of abusing their powers or violating the presidential oath.
Articles 97.9 and 99.2 of the electoral law determine how votes are counted, with blank ballots taken into account when determining whether a candidate has crossed the 50% threshold. If no candidate receives a majority of all votes cast in the second round (including blank votes), article 8.6.2 of the electoral law requires fresh elections to be held.
Candidates
Political parties with representation in the State Great Khural were to nominate their candidates for the election in early May.
Mongolian People's Party
According to a December 2020 MEC survey, Khurelsukh was the only politician in the MPP who was more popular than president Battulga. Since his resignation as prime minister, it was widely believed by the public that he intended to run for the presidency.
The year 2021 marked the 100th anniversary of the Mongolian People's Party and the 1921 revolution. In April 29, just six days before the nomination deadline, the MPRP agreed to merge back into the MPP after nearly a decade of separation. This strategic merger narrowed the amount of candidates in the 2021 race from 4 to 3. The MPRP had been the third-largest party in Mongolia and in the State Great Khural since 2012. Former president and MPRP chairman Nambaryn Enkhbayar backed Khurelsukh for the presidency.
Democratic Party
Political infightings within the DP reached a boiling point in February when presidential nominee hopeful, Tsedevdambyn Oyungerel backed Erdene against interim leader Tuvaan's faction loyal to Battulga. Tuvaan and his allies exiled Erdene from the party for 8 years and in return Erdene excused Tuvaan from his interim position in an online post. In the subsequent following days, many veteran DP politicians and MPs sided against Battulga's renomination but not on the side of Erdene.
Campaign for the next party chairman kicked off in March between 9 candidates. Approximately 200,000 Democratic Party members and supporters were eligible to vote online for the next leader. Two primaries were held by two sides of the party, which led to the party having two elected party chairman, Mainbayaryn Tulgat ally of Erdene and Odongiin Tsogtgerel ally of Tuvaan. The Supreme Court of Mongolia refused to register neither as the party chairman, stating that "this is an internal party matter that the Supreme Court should not be involved with". The DP was unable to unify under a single chairman before the June elections and Battulga increasingly distanced himself from the political infighting.
The two factions of the DP nominated Sodnomzunduin Erdene and MP Norovyn Altankhuyag as their presidential nominees. Altankhuyag was nominated by a 97.6% vote from National Policy Committee, and was backed by all 11 Democratic MPs. Erdene was nominated by the Tulgat-led faction on the day before Altankhuyag's nomination, Tsedevdambyn Oyungerel had been considered a potential candidate but she lost her bid to Erdene.
The General Election Commission (GEC) did not accept the two candidates until the party fully decided on a single candidate on May 6. Altankhuyag's ally MPs and supporters protested the GEC decision to not accept the registration, stating "Erdene fractured our party and is not the representation of our party" and launched hunger strikes and demonstrations in Sükhbaatar Square.
It was ultimately decided that Erdene would be nominated for the 2021 election.
Registered candidates
The General Election Commission registered three candidates on 5 May 2021.
Opinion polls
Former Prime Minister Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh led the opinion polls according to an MEC survey in April 2021.
Results
Polls opened at 07:00 in 2,087 polling stations across the country for the 2 million registered voters, with special measures in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mongolia. Voting ended at 22:00. Khürelsükh and Erdene voted in Ulaanbaatar, while Enkhbat tested positive for COVID-19 and voted in the hospital.