Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in late December to protest against Enkhbold and the two main political parties, the Mongolian People's Party and the Democratic Party.
Public unrest has simmered throughout January, with a cross-party group of legislators boycotting parliament. Some protesters began hunger strikes on Ulaanbaatar's central Sukhbaatar Square on January 10.
The role of foreign investment in resource-rich Mongolia's development has also come under scrutiny, with nationalist politicians complaining strategic assets have been sold off to foreign firms on the cheap.
Enkhbold denied accusations of corruption and declined to resign, but parliament voted in favor of forcing his dismissal late Tuesday in a procedure initiated by President Khaltmaa Battulga, who defeated Enkhbold in a 2017 election.
"I was not playing tricks to save my position. I believed this problem should be solved legally," Enkhbold said, complaining his dismissal undermined parliamentary democracy.
Whistle-blower recordings released last year implicate several politicians in a scheme to raise 60 billion tugrik ($23 million) in campaign funds for the 2016 parliamentary elections, later won by Enkhbold's Mongolian People's Party.
0 comments:
Post a Comment