Protests for designer handbags plunge Mongolia into political crisis

Protests for designer handbags plunge Mongolia into political crisis

Mongolia is in a new political crisis because demonstrators demand the resignation of the Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai. The reason for the protests are the magnificent prosperity demos of his family.

protests in the capital

For two weeks, young Mongols in the capital Ulaanbaatar have been on the streets and put pressure on the prime minister, who must expect a vote on his government on Monday. Democratic Mongolia is a domestic state with only 3.5 million inhabitants that are trapped between the authoritarian giants China and Russia. The current political crisis throws a new light on the stability of Mongolian democracy.

luxury life and public resentment

The protests were triggered by viral contributions on social media, in which the complex engagement arrangement of the 23-year-old son of the Prime Minister and her obvious extravagant lifestyle, including helicopter flights, expensive struggles, designer handbags and a luxury car, were shown. It grew the distrust of how the son had come to such wealth-especially since Prime Minister Oyun-Erden had emphasized in his election campaign to come from a rural, not wealthy family.

"Without recognizable sources of income, their display of luxury items and private mobility was an open slap in the face of the average Mongolian citizen," said Amina, 28, member of the protest group Ogtsroh Amarhan (resignation is simple).

cost increases and dissatisfaction

The anger of people is fueled by the increasing cost of living, the high inflation due to the war in Ukraine and the alarming air pollution in the capital, in which half of the population lives. "The cost of living in Mongolia has set up - many people pay almost half of their monthly income of taxes and can hardly cover food, rent or ancillary costs. Most live no longer from salary check - they live from loans, from debt to debt," she said.

government gives way to allegations

The demonstrators gathered almost every day on the central Sükhbaatar-Platz in front of the government palace and asked Oyun-Erde to cover and resign his finances. The prime minister's office rejected the allegations of financial irregularities as "completely unfounded". "The prime minister is subject to annual financial statements in accordance with Mongolian law," said an opinion of the office to CNN.

corruption in Mongolian politics

The Mongolia has been fighting for decades with endogenous corruption again and again that arises against the enrichment of corrupts Direct officials and managing directors with public funds. In 2022, mass protests broke out over a corruption scandal, which dealt with the alleged embezzlement of coal worth billions of dollars. Although analysts say that there is no evidence of corruption by Oyun-Erdes, his son's social media have reinforced the frustration of a public that has long been suspicious of their elected representatives.

The Position of the Prime Minister

The prime minister tries to save his coalition government, and the parliament, the Great State Chural, will hold a vote on Monday. Oyun-Erdes and his son have faced the Mongolian anti-corruption authority, and the prime minister said that he would resign if the investigation uncovered irregularities. His Mongolian People's Party (MPP) is the largest parliament with 68 seats in the 126 seats. The situation is complicated by the fact that the government coalition threatens to break down, since the MPP has excluded its junior partner, the democratic party, the 43 seats, after the support of some of its members for the protesters.

a test of Mongolian democracy

"The protests are only the 'tip of the iceberg'," noted Jargalsaikhan Dambadarja, a Mongolian broadcasting spokesman and political commentator who pointed out some of the major economic changes in the country. Oyun-Erdene, which was re-elected in 2024 for a second term, had promised to diversify the country's economy, which depends heavily on the mining industry, which is about a quarter of GDP. Mongolia has enormous occurrence of coal, copper, gold and phosphorite, with about 90 % of the Mongolian coal exports going to China.

looking for stability

The government announced 14 new mega projects last year to promote economic growth, including cross -border railway connections and a significant expansion of renewable energies. One of the central political concerns of Oyun-Erdene was the establishment of a national prosperity fund, which, according to the government, pursues the goal of redistribating the country's assets to the population. The draft law on the fund, which was approved by Parliament in April, allows the government to acquire a 34 %share of mines that are considered strategically important for the country's economy.

The future of democracy

Mongolia has been a parliamentary democracy since the 1991 democratic revolution. But in the years since then, governments have been overthrown or guides were exchanged. This instability has caused some Mongols to believe that President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, who is head of state, should be expanded. The president can currently only serve a six -year term. "In this mosaic, those who support Presidential power argue that Russia and China are stable because they have one-man presidential systems. They say that we tried this parliamentary system and does not work. That is their idea," said Jargalsaikhan.

Time is crucial, emphasized Jargalsaikhan: "Freedom is only given with the parliamentary system ... If we do not achieve this, we will become another failed economy and a failed country." In a statement, the Prime Minister's office said that there was a targeted attempt to undermine the reforms of the coalition government through an "enemy campaign" that "avert the Mongolia from a parliamentary democracy and return the power and wealth of a small, selfish group"

Analysts believe that Mongolia must rule stable in order to attract foreign investments and reduce their economic dependence on China and Russia. Last year President Khurelsukh received the Russian President Vladimir Putin for an official visit to Mongolia, a trip that from Ukraine was condemned . "Many governments consider Mongolia as an oasis of democracy between Russia and China, so they want to trust us, but at the same time you have to show responsibility and stability so that other governments say, okay, Mongolia is getting better," said Bolor.

People on the street are tired of political games and demand tangible improvements in their everyday life. "We want stronger anti -corruption measures, public civil servants who are held in ethical standards, and a system that ensures that nobody is above the law," said Ariunzaya. "It is time for the government to listen to its citizens and take sensible, sustainable measures - not just words."

The CNN reporter Alysha Bibi contributed to this report.