Parliament makes amendments to Law on Presidential Election

Politics
baljmaa@montsame.gov.mn
2021-04-30 14:45:38

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On April 29, State Great Khural, the parliament of Mongolia approved amendments to the Law on Presidential Election of Mongolia, which was adopted in December 2020. 53.6 percent of 69 members in attendance voted in favor of approving the amendments.  The quadrennial presidential election is scheduled on June 9, 2021. 

 

On April 22, the parliament adopted a resolution to accept ‘the Constitutional Court’s conclusion, which made the current and former presidents of the country ineligible to run for the presidency again and necessitating to make changes to the Presidential Election Law. 


However, provision 81.1 of the Presidential Election Law prohibits approving or amending the law on presidential election within one year before the polling day of the regular presidential election. Some lawmakers at the plenary session explained that “there is no other way but to make changes”. 


The following two changes were made:


Article 3.1.2. of the law on the presidential election, which read as “ ‘presidential candidate’ is a person who is a citizen of Mongolia, who reached the age of 50, has a permanent residence in the country for at least the five years prior to the election and registered their candidacy for the President of Mongolia and received candidacy card.” is now changed to:


3.1.2. “‘presidential candidate’ is a citizen of Mongolia, who fulfilled the requirements in the Article 30.2 of the Constitution of Mongolia, and registered their candidacy for the President of Mongolia and received candidacy card”. 


The Article 5.4. which stated that “a citizen of Mongolia, who reached the age of 50, has a permanent residence in the country for at least the five years prior to the election and fulfills all other requirements set in the Constitution of Mongolia and this law are eligible to be elected as the President of Mongolia.” is now changed to:


“An indigenous citizen of Mongolia, who fulfilled the requirements set in the 3.1.2 of this law, and who has never been chosen and served as President can be elected as the President of Mongolia for one time only”. 


On April 29, President of Mongolia Battulga Khaltmaa put a full veto on the parliamentary resolution to accept the Constitutional Court’s conclusion. In line with corresponding legislations, the parliament discussed the veto and rejected the veto imposed by the President with a 74.6 percent majority vote. Members of the parliament present at the veto discussion pointed out that this is the first time a veto is placed on the parliamentary resolution to accept a Constitutional Court conclusion, and the President’s veto cannot be accepted because veto on the given parliamentary resolution is equivalent to turning down the Constitutional Court conclusion. 

 



Related news