Mongolia votes for new president amid COVID-19 campaign curbs

People observing social distancing amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic attend a campaign rally of Sodnomzundui Erdene, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, ahead of the presidential election, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia June 3, 2021. REUTERS/B. Rentsendorj

ULAANBAATAR (Reuters) - Mongolia goes to the polls on Wednesday to choose its sixth democratically-elected president, with the ruling Mongolian People's Party (MPP) on the cusp of consolidating its power following a low-key campaign crimped by COVID-19 curbs.

The vote is the first after constitutional amendments stripped the office of some of its powers and limited holders to a single six-year term, so keeping incumbent Khaltmaa Battulga of the opposition Democratic Party from seeking re-election.