Lawmakers voted to remove the Mongolian prime minister and parliament speaker, throwing the resource-rich nation into renewed political turmoil.
Zandanshatar Gombojav has stepped down as prime minister after losing the confidence vote on Friday, just four months after taking office, the official Montsame news agency reported.
One reason cited by lawmakers was that Zandanshatar, a former foreign minister and parliamentary speaker, had recently tried to circumvent parliament and appoint a new justice and home affairs minister without consulting them.
The 55-year-old had been confirmed as the country’s 32nd prime minister in June after his predecessor L. Oyun-Erdene quit, also after losing parliamentary backing, due to corruption allegations and street protests.
Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, Mongolia’s president since 2021, is expected to nominate the next prime minister, who would require the approval of the State Great Khural, or parliament.
Zandanshatar’s dismissal came just a day after parliamentary speaker Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve offered to resign.
Lawmakers voted to accept his resignation on Friday.
The ruling Mongolian People’s Party, of which Zandanshatar and Amarbayasgalan are both members, had called for a probe into Amarbayasgalan.
Earlier this month, the World Bank slashed its forecast for Mongolia’s 2025 economic growth to 5.9% from its April estimate of 6.3%, citing lower coal prices, global trade uncertainty, as well as elevated inflation and stagnant wages. — Reuters
