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mongolia Parliament has voted to oust the prime minister in an unusually public power struggle within the ruling Mongolian People’s Party.
Opponents of Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojaev managed to pass a controversially worded motion on Friday that effectively ousted him from office.
Parliament was also discussing a request for the resignation of its Speaker, Amarabayasgalan Dashzegwe, who is the prime minister’s main rival in the internal party struggle.
It was not immediately clear who might succeed Zandanshater, who is acting prime minister until a successor is named, or whether he would challenge his dismissal. He was named Prime Minister in June.
The political turmoil comes at a critical time as next year’s budget has not yet been passed. teachersDoctors have gone on strike this week demanding a salary hike in the budget and medical doctors are also threatening to do the same.
The feud in the ruling party began when Zandanshatar lost the party leadership election to Amarbayasgalan.
The Prime Minister’s supporters then accused the Speaker of being involved in corruption in the coal mining industry and a government investigation was launched.
“We are fighting against the theft of the country’s property that has robbed every Mongolian, and we are working to raise the salaries of teachers and doctors,” Zandanshatar said during the debate before the vote on his expulsion.
Amarbayasgalan requested on Thursday that he be allowed to resign from his role as Speaker of Parliament in order to restore his honor and protect parliamentary democracy.
“The obsession for power among those who lost the election and their lawless, arbitrary actions within the executive branch are unlawfully influencing law enforcement agencies, in violation of the Constitution,” he said.
The vote on the fate of the prime minister came after a parliamentary committee voted against his dismissal.
The entire Parliament was then asked whether it supported the committee’s decision. In such decisions, legislators who do not vote are counted as “no” votes. The “No” votes were a clear majority, so Zandanshatar was dismissed.
Some supporters of the Prime Minister boycotted the Parliament session on Thursday, delaying the vote by a day, depriving the 126-member body of the required quorum for a vote.