Protests over designer handbags plunged Mongolia into a crisis
Protests over designer handbags plunged Mongolia into a crisis
In Mongolia, the political situation is tense again. Protests are calling for the resignation of the Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai because of his striking family tradition. In the past two weeks, young Mongols have gone to the streets of the capital Ulaanbaatar to put pressure on the government, while on Monday a vote on the government is due.
background of the protests
The reason for the protests were viral contributions on social media, which documented the magnificent marriage proposal of the 23-year-old son of the Prime Minister and their luxurious lifestyle. This included helicopter flights, an expensive engagement ring and designer handbags. The question of the origin of the wealth of the son grew, especially since Oyun-Erde had previously promised to come from a non-wealthy rural family."With visible sources of income, your extravagant is a sound slap in the face for the average citizens of Mongolia," said Amina, 28, a member of the protest group Ogtsroh Amarhan (resignation is simple). She emphasizes that the protests are not only about social media, but also about the growing gap between the ruling elite and the population.
cost of living and social inequality
The increasing cost of living, the flood of inflation due to the Ukraine conflict and the incessant air pollution in the capital nourish the displeasure of the population. "The cost of living in Mongolia has set up - many people pay almost half of their monthly income in taxes and hardly have enough for food, rent or energy. Most no longer live from salary check - they live from loan to credit," said Amina.
saidThe protesters gathered almost every day on the central Sükhbaatar-Platz in front of the government palace in Ulaanbaatar and demanded that Oyun-Erdene open and resign its finances. The Prime Minister's office rejected the allegations of financial irregularities as "completely unfounded".
corrupt structures and their consequences
Mongolia has been struggling with endemic corruption for decades. Massive protests broke out in 2022 over a corruption scandal, in which billions of dollars of coal, which were intended for China, disappeared. Although analysts do not see any evidence of corruption by Oyun-Erde, his son's social media will increase the frustration of an audience that has long been suspicious of the abuse of public funds.
"I want a just society in which ordinary people have a voice and in which government officials are held responsible," said Ariunzaya Khajidmaa, 23, a resident of Ulaanbaatar who takes part in the protests with her two -month -old baby
The position of the Prime Minister
oyun-erden tries to maintain its coalition government, while the parliament, which is also known as a state-sized Khural, will vote on the trust in its government on Monday. Both the Prime Minister and his son have made it available to the Mongolian anti -corruption authority. Oyun-erden explained that he would resign if the investigation was to reveal irregularities.
his Mongolian People's Party (MPP) is the largest parliament extensive in 126 seats and holds 68 seats. However, the coalition of the confidence is complicated because the MPP has thrown their junior partner, the democratic party, from the coalition after some of its members supported the protesters.
economic potentials and challenges
The protests represent only "the tip of the iceberg", emphasizes the Mongolian broadcasting and political analyst of Jargalsaikhan Dambadarjaa and refers to the significant economic changes in the country. Oyun-Erden had promised to diversify the country's economy, which depends heavily on the mining industry.
Last year, the coalition government announced 14 new mega projects to promote economic growth, including cross-border rail connections and an important expansion of renewable energies. One of the main concerns of the politics of Oyun-Erdene was the establishment of a national asset fund that is supposed to redistribute the country's assets to help people.The risk of political instability
Mongolia has been a parliamentary democracy since the 1991 democratic revolution. But in the years since then, several governments have been overthrown or the managers changed. This instability means that some Mongols believe that President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa's powers should be expanded. Currently the president can only have one term of six years.
"In this mosaic, the supporters of the presidential power argue that Russia and China have stable one-man presidential systems. They say that the parliamentary system does not work," said Jargalsaikhan.
The analysts emphasize that Mongolia must be proven that it has a stable government to attract foreign investments and reduce their economic dependence on China and Russia.
"It is time for the government to listen to its citizens and take significant, permanent measures - not just words," said Ariunzaya.
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