 |
Cahiagiyn Elbegdorj4th President of Mongolia since June 18, 2009
Date of Birth: 30.03.1963
Country:  Mongolia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Military Career and Journalism
- Political Activism and Democratic Revolution
- Parliamentary Elections and Democratic Victory
- Return to Parliament and Government
- Prime Ministership and Retirement
- Return to Mongolia and Prime Ministership
- Democratic Party Leadership and International Recognition
- Electoral Dispute and Presidential Victory
Early Life and Education
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj was born on March 30, 1963, in Zereg, Khovd Province, Mongolian People's Republic, to a herder. Elbegdorj was the youngest of eight children. After graduating from high school in 1981, he planned to study journalism in Ulaanbaatar but was unable to apply that year. Instead, he worked as a repairman and machinist at the Erdenet joint Soviet-Mongolian mining enterprise in Erdenet for about a year.
Elbegdorj was then drafted into the Mongolian People's Army for three years of service. During his military service, he joined the Mongolian Revolutionary Youth Union and rose to the rank of sergeant. Elbegdorj also pursued his passion for poetry and had two of his short works published in the army newspaper. After his poems were published, he met with the editor of the newspaper, who suggested he travel to the Soviet Union to pursue a degree in journalism. Elbegdorj passed three exams and secured one of two spots allocated among fifty candidates.
Military Career and Journalism
From 1983 to 1988, Elbegdorj studied at the Lviv Higher Military-Political College in Ukraine, graduating with a degree in military journalism. While studying, Elbegdorj and his colleagues attempted to publish their own student newspaper. Only one issue was released before the students were told their initiative was illegal and were forbidden from further publications under threat of expulsion from the university.
After returning to Mongolia in 1988, Elbegdorj worked briefly as a correspondent for the army newspaper "Ulaan Od" (Red Star).
Political Activism and Democratic Revolution
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Elbegdorj emerged as one of the first "young democrats." In late November 1989, he was sent as a delegate and one of the organizers of a major youth conference. During an informal discussion, a small group of organizers decided to approach the delegates with the idea of forming a non-governmental organization, the Mongolian Movement in Support of Perestroika and Glasnost, similar to the one being led by Mikhail Gorbachev in the Soviet Union. Elbegdorj also proposed starting their own newspaper.
He was tasked with presenting these ideas at the conference, which was attended by over a thousand delegates from various youth organizations as well as members of the Politburo of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP). Elbegdorj secured the right to speak and invited interested delegates to gather after the conference. Over a hundred people responded, forming the Mongolian Democratic Union. Elbegdorj became one of the leaders of the new organization, known as the "Thirteen First Democrats."
On December 10, 1989, International Human Rights Day, the Mongolian Democratic Union held its first demonstration, demanding that the government introduce a multi-party system, privatize socialist property, and declare freedom of speech and religion. The organizers held weekly rallies throughout the country, informing the public whether the Mongolian leadership had accepted their proposals. The initial attendance of around a thousand people grew to a hundred thousand within a month. Elbegdorj became the main orator for the democrats, speaking at all major rallies. In 1990, he began publishing the newspaper "Democracy."
Three months after the start of the nationwide peaceful protests, the Politburo of the MPRP resigned on March 9, 1990.
Parliamentary Elections and Democratic Victory
In June 1990, the first democratic parliamentary elections were held in Mongolia, resulting in Elbegdorj being elected to the Great People's Hural. Despite this, the MPRP remained in power, as the democrats received only 10% of the votes. In the 1992 Great State Hural elections, after a new constitution had been adopted, the democrats again suffered a defeat (although Elbegdorj was re-elected), with the MPRP winning 70 of the 76 parliamentary seats. Elbegdorj continued to serve as a member of parliament until 1994, after which he worked as an expert in the National Security Council for two years.
Return to Parliament and Government
In 1996, Elbegdorj was once again elected to parliament, this time as part of the first democratic victory. The Mongolian Democratic Union won 35 seats in the Great State Hural, while their coalition partners in the "Democratic Union" won 15 seats, giving the democrats a total of 50 seats, one short of the two-thirds majority required to pass laws.
Elbegdorj was the most likely candidate for Prime Minister, but the position was ultimately given to Mendsaikhan Enkhsaikhan. Elbegdorj became the Vice Speaker of the second-term Great State Hural and the leader of the parliamentary majority, heading the democratic faction. He also became the chairman of the Mongolian National Democratic Party (MNDP) in 1996 and the chairman of the state commission on the rehabilitation of victims of political repression.
Prime Ministership and Retirement
In April 1998, after the MNDP-led faction initiated the resignation of Enkhsaikhan's government, Elbegdorj himself became Prime Minister of Mongolia. However, three months later, his party colleagues also forced his removal from office. Elbegdorj continued to lead the government as acting Prime Minister until December 1998, when the democrats elected a new head of government. In four years of democratic rule, the democrats had appointed five different Prime Ministers of Mongolia.
After his resignation, Elbegdorj served as the leader of the parliamentary majority until the end of the second-term Great State Hural. In 2000, the MPRP won the next elections, securing 70 of the 76 seats in parliament.
Elbegdorj failed to be elected to the third-term Great State Hural and left for the United States. In 2002, he graduated from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University with a Master's degree in Public Administration. From 2002 to 2003, Elbegdorj worked on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals program and was a consultant on the board of directors of the Free Press project in Washington.
Return to Mongolia and Prime Ministership
Elbegdorj returned to Mongolia in 2004, ahead of the parliamentary elections, but did not run as a candidate. No single party secured a majority in the voting: the MPRP won 37 seats, the "Homeland - Democracy" coalition won 35 seats, three seats went to independent candidates, and one seat to the Republican Party. The main political opponents were forced to reach an agreement, appointing MPRP member Nambaryn Enkhbayar as Speaker of Parliament and Elbegdorj as Prime Minister.
Elbegdorj's second term as Prime Minister lasted from August 2004 to January 2006. He was removed from office at the initiative of the MPRP, which had managed to secure a majority in parliament after one of the democratic deputies defected to their faction. Elbegdorj insisted that the government had been dismissed unlawfully, and his supporters organized a mass demonstration that ended in the storming of the MPRP building. Some experts believe that the growing popularity of the Prime Minister was the reason behind his dismissal. Elbegdorj stated, "We are leaving, but we will be back. We will return with even more supporters."
Democratic Party Leadership and International Recognition
In March 2006, Elbegdorj was elected chairman of the Democratic Party of Mongolia. He focused on preparing for the 2008 parliamentary elections, strengthening inner-party work in primary, city, and regional organizations, conducting party audits, and recruiting new members.
In the summer of 2006, Elbegdorj was named by experts and diplomatic sources as one of the possible candidates to succeed Kofi Annan as United Nations Secretary-General. However, the position ultimately went to South Korean diplomat Ban Ki-moon.
Electoral Dispute and Presidential Victory
In late June 2008, Mongolia held parliamentary elections. According to preliminary results, the MPRP won, securing over half of the seats in the Great State Hural. Elbegdorj, the leader of the Mongolian Democratic Party, disputed the results, claiming they were fraudulent. Unrest broke out in Ulaanbaatar. After open consultations with representatives from the government, the MPRP, and all opposition parties, President Enkhbayar declared a four-day state of emergency in the capital on the night of July 2-3.
