Clinton in Mongolia as results disputed
Ulan Bator: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Mongolia on Monday as part of an Asian tour aimed at promoting democracy, as local politicians were locked in dispute over recent elections.
Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj has called on all parties to agree on forming a ruling coalition, after official results showed the opposition Democratic Party won most seats, but not enough for a majority.
There have been days of unease since the June 28 elections in which some parties said a new automated voting system to elect the Great Hural, Mongolia’s 76-member parliament, had failed.
“The secretary is going to be very clear that we celebrate a succession of successful elections in Mongolia,” a top State Department official told reporters travelling with Clinton.
“In the aftermath of this recent election, the international community is watching in terms of how the rule of law is applied, and I think we are looking forward to very substantive discussions with the key players inside the country about where things currently stand,” he added, asking to remain anonymous.
Mongolia, sandwiched between Russia and China, ended seven decades of Soviet-backed rule in 1990 and has since undergone a relatively peaceful and successful transition into a stable democracy.
However corruption is generally recognised as a major problem in Mongolian politics, and disputes over the previous parliamentary elections in 2008 triggered riots that left four people dead.
According to results posted on the president’s website, the Democratic Party came out on top in last month’s election, winning 31 parliamentary seats, while the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) took 25 seats.
The Democratic Party is now looking to form a ruling coalition, while the MPP has led the protests against the automated voting system.
A spokesman for the Democratic Party told AFP on Monday it was hopeful of securing support from one of the minor parties, but that a partnership was not likely to be announced until next month.
“I think that the secretary of state’s even brief visit to Mongolia comes at a crucial time in fashioning a new government coalition,” former US ambassador to Mongolia Alphonse La Porta told AFP.
“[It is] an opportunity to underscore for all Mongolians the importance of good governance and political stability.”
Clinton was to meet with Elbegdorj on Monday, and deliver remarks to an International Women’s Leadership forum being held in the capital, Ulan Bator.
She was also to address events focused on new and emerging democracies.
Elbegdorj was a key leader of the peaceful 1990 revolution that ended the Soviet era.
Mongolian President Tsakhia Elbegdorj has called on all parties to agree on forming a ruling coalition, after official results showed the opposition Democratic Party won most seats, but not enough for a majority.
There have been days of unease since the June 28 elections in which some parties said a new automated voting system to elect the Great Hural, Mongolia’s 76-member parliament, had failed.
“The secretary is going to be very clear that we celebrate a succession of successful elections in Mongolia,” a top State Department official told reporters travelling with Clinton.
“In the aftermath of this recent election, the international community is watching in terms of how the rule of law is applied, and I think we are looking forward to very substantive discussions with the key players inside the country about where things currently stand,” he added, asking to remain anonymous.
Mongolia, sandwiched between Russia and China, ended seven decades of Soviet-backed rule in 1990 and has since undergone a relatively peaceful and successful transition into a stable democracy.
However corruption is generally recognised as a major problem in Mongolian politics, and disputes over the previous parliamentary elections in 2008 triggered riots that left four people dead.
According to results posted on the president’s website, the Democratic Party came out on top in last month’s election, winning 31 parliamentary seats, while the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) took 25 seats.
The Democratic Party is now looking to form a ruling coalition, while the MPP has led the protests against the automated voting system.
A spokesman for the Democratic Party told AFP on Monday it was hopeful of securing support from one of the minor parties, but that a partnership was not likely to be announced until next month.
“I think that the secretary of state’s even brief visit to Mongolia comes at a crucial time in fashioning a new government coalition,” former US ambassador to Mongolia Alphonse La Porta told AFP.
“[It is] an opportunity to underscore for all Mongolians the importance of good governance and political stability.”
Clinton was to meet with Elbegdorj on Monday, and deliver remarks to an International Women’s Leadership forum being held in the capital, Ulan Bator.
She was also to address events focused on new and emerging democracies.
Elbegdorj was a key leader of the peaceful 1990 revolution that ended the Soviet era.
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