San Francisco Frontiers - Mongolian PM out after four months in office

A majority of parliamentarians voted to dismiss Gombojav Zandanshatar following weeks of political infighting and a dispute over a policy that changed how mineral exporters are taxed.

Zandanshatar, 55, took office in June after thousands of young people demonstrated in the capital Ulaanbaatar, venting frustration at wealthy elites and what they saw as pervasive corruption and injustice.

They called for then-prime minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene to step down and got their wish when he lost a confidence vote.

Mongolia, which neighbours China, is rich in natural resources such as coal, gas and minerals.

But the country is facing a combustive political cocktail of widespread corruption, rising living costs and concerns over the economy.

Zandanshatar will remain as caretaker prime minister until his successor is appointed within 30 days.

He had faced criticism from lawmakers in his own ruling Mongolian People's Party over a major shift in minerals policy.

Starting this month, exporters were to pay royalties based on domestic stock prices, rather than international benchmarks used since 2021, which lawmakers warned could hurt the national budget.

He had also drew fire for appointing a justice minister without notifying parliament, which lawmakers said was unlawful.

On Friday, 71 members of parliament voted to remove Zandanshatar with three-quarters of the chamber in attendance.

M.Hill--SFF