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Agence France-Presse

Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on Tuesday, a parliamentary statement said, after losing a confidence vote among lawmakers.
The secret ballot followed days of protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar against alleged corruption.
Speaking after the result of the vote was announced to parliament, Oyun-Erdene said: “It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs.”
He will remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days.

Mongolia, a landlocked democracy in northern Asia, has battled deep-seated corruption for decades.
Many in the country believe that wealthy elites are hoarding the profits of a years-long coal mining boom at the expense of the general population.
Since Oyun-Erdene took power in 2021, Mongolia has plummeted in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index.
The country has seen frequent protests and unrest, and hundreds of young people turned out in Ulaanbaatar last week calling for his resignation.
Fuelling public outrage are accusations that members of the prime minister’s family are enjoying lavish lifestyles far beyond what a civil servant on the public dime could afford.

In a statement last month, the prime minister’s office said it “vehemently” denied the allegations, describing them as a “smear”.
Concerns over the economy and rising living costs have also stoked the unrest.
Some counterprotesters – overwhelmingly older than their pro-opposition counterparts – also turned out to support the prime minister.
Mongolia has been ruled by a three-way coalition government since elections last year resulted in a significantly reduced majority for Oyun-Erdene’s Mongolian People’s Party (MPP).
But the MPP evicted the second-largest member, the Democratic Party (DP), from the coalition last month after some younger DP lawmakers backed calls for Oyun-Erdene’s resignation.
The move pushed the country’s political scene into further uncertainty.

Some 82 lawmakers took part in the secret ballot, with 44 voting for retaining confidence in Oyun-Erdene, and 38 against.
The ballot did not reach the 64-vote threshold required from the 126-seat parliament, prompting Oyun-Erdene to stand down.
On Monday, hundreds of young protesters crowded onto the square outside the parliament building, marching with white placards and chanting: “It is easy to resign.”
Organiser Ulamsaikhan Otgon, 24, said the weeks of demonstrations “have showcased throughout that young people are very sensitive to unfairness” in society.
Yroolt, a 30-year-old content creator, said it was the second demonstration he had attended.
“The reason I came is because I want a different life, a different society,” he said, declining to share his last name out of privacy concerns.
“We all know injustice is deeply embedded in our society but it’s time for change.”


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Mongolia’s Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene bows after losing his position following a confidence vote in Ulaanbaatar’s parliament on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Mongolia’s Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene hugs members of parliament after the confidence vote in Ulaanbaatar on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

People sing during a protest in Ulaanbaatar on May 21 calling for the resignation of Mongolia’s Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene. Photo: AFP

Oyun-Erdene (second from right) and Sun Shaocheng (left), party secretary of China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region, attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a cross-border railway in Khanbogd, southern Mongolia’s Omnogovi province, on May 14. Photo: AFP

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Khaltmaa Battulga, the presidential candidate of Mongolia's major opposition Democratic Party, speaks to reporters in the capital Ulan Bator on June 26, 2017, after casting his ballot for the presidential election. The election committee said on June 27 that the country's first-ever runoff to pick a new president will be held on July 9. Battulga is expected to face off against Miyegombo Enkhbold of the ruling Mongolian People's Party. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Ulan Bator, the Mongolian capital. Photo: Edward Cavanough

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The secret ballot followed days of protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar against alleged corruption


The secret ballot followed days of protests in the capital Ulaanbaatar against alleged corruption.


Protests around the world

Corruption in Asia