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Agence France-Presse

Mongolians cast ballots on Friday in the country’s first-ever presidential run-off after the first round of elections failed to produce a clear winner following campaigns tainted by corruption scandals.
Many voters in the vast, resource-rich nation of three million people sandwiched between Russia and China were so fed up with their politicians that they launched a campaign to submit blank ballots.
Businessman and judoka Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), who led the first round, faces parliament speaker Mieygombo Enkhbold of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP).
Enkhbold eked out a mere 0.1 per cent victory over the Mongolian Revolutionary People’s Party’s Sainkhuu Ganbaatar in last week’s election, which was mired in controversy.

Ganbaatar cried foul and demanded a recount, but the result was eventually confirmed.
Mongolians disillusioned by their politicians launched the “White Ballot” campaign, also dubbed “#WhiteChoice”, to encourage people to vote blank.
Mongolian election law stipulates that a candidate must garner at least 51 per cent of the vote to secure the presidency. If neither candidate reaches this number, the parties will be required to nominate different representatives for an entirely new election.
‘Crooks, liars and oligarchs’: corruption scandals and ethnic Chinese mudslinging mar Mongolia’s presidential vote
At the First Secondary School of Ulan Bator, a prestigious high school where a photo of Enkhbold hung in a hallway dedicated to famous alumni, a 30-year-old small-business owner said he voted for Battulga.
“I will never vote for Enkhbold, because he sold the open spaces in our city,” Byambiin Ragchaa said. “When he was mayor (of Ulan Bator), a weird building was constructed just in front of my flat, and it blocked the sun.”

Both Battulga and Enkhbold were linked to scandals ahead of the first-round vote.
A video showed Enkhbold and two MPP officials appear to be discussing a 60 billion tugrik (US$25 million) plan for selling government positions.
Battulga was haunted by reports of offshore accounts attached to his name, as well as the arrests of several of his associates by Mongolia’s anti-corruption body last spring.
But in the nearly two weeks between the first round and the runoff, public opinion appeared to turn in favour of the brash businessman, said Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia scholar at the University of British Columbia.
Road to nowhere? Ahead of Mongolian election, voters fret over China investment
“It does seem a little bit like Enkhbold is, if not nosediving, certainly not on the upswing,” Dierkes told AFP.
He noted that the MPP, which holds most parliamentary seats but not the presidency, announced Tuesday that Mongolian parents would be a given a monthly 20,000 tugrik (US$8) allowance for every child.

The move is at odds with the country’s promise to limit mass cash handouts to meet the requirements of its US$5.5 billion International Monetary Fund-led bailout.
As no campaigning was permitted between the two election rounds, the MPP’s gesture gave Enkhbold’s camp “a look of desperation,” Dierkes said.
But Battulga’s party had made its own share of promises: On Monday, DP officials pledged that if Battulga was elected, he would order the government to cover students’ tuition loans and herders’ debts.
Voters at the First Secondary School had mixed feelings about the cash commitments.
Naranbaatariin Ariungerel, a 20-year-old student who voted for Enkhbold, said “populist promises are just the way Mongolian politicians compete”. “It’s great that families have their child allowances,” Ariungerel added.
But Boriin Batbold, a 46-year-old mining company translator, disagreed.
“Populist promises are toxic,” Batbold said. “These promises might be effective only in the short term.”


Mongolians vote in their first presidential run-off

People vote in the second round of presidential elections in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Photo: Reuters

A man votes in the second round of presidential elections in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, July 7, 2017. REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj

epa06071865 Mongolian presidential candidate Miyegombyn Enkhbold (L) from the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) with his ballot paper during voting at a polling station in the second round of presidential elections in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 07 July 2017. Mongolia is holding the country's second round vote after none of the three candidates secured an absolute majority in its fifth presidential election on 26 June. EPA/DAVAANYAM DELGERJARGAL

epa06071953 Mongolian presidential candidate Khaltmaa Battulga (R) of the Democratic Party casts his vote at a polling station during the second round of presidential elections in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, 07 July 2017. Mongolia is holding the country's second round vote after none of the three candidates secured an absolute majority in its fifth presidential election on 26 June. EPA/DAVAANYAM DELGERJARGAL

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