Mongolia PM resigns after losing confidence vote in Parliament

ULAANBAATAR - Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene resigned on June 3, 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, Mr Oyun-Erdene said: “It was an honour to serve my country and people in times of difficulties, including pandemics, wars, and tariffs.”

Mr Oyun-Erdene will remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days, the statement said.

Mongolia, a landlocked democracy in northern Asia, has battled deep-seated corruption for decades.

Many in the country believe the country’s wealthy elite are hoarding the profits of a years-long coal mining boom at the expense of the general population.

Since Mr 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 to AFP in May, 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 counter-protesters – 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 in 2024 resulted in a significantly reduced majority for Mr Oyun-Erdene’s Mongolian People’s Party (MPP).

But the MPP evicted the second-largest group, the Democratic Party (DP),from the coalition agreement in May after some younger DP lawmakers backed calls for Mr Oyun-Erdene’s