Mongolians pick prez after scandal-plagued campaign

Ulan Bator, June 26

Mongolians cast ballots today to choose between a horse breeder, a judoka and a feng shui master in a presidential election rife with corruption scandals and nationalist rhetoric.

From its sprawling steppes to its capital and even in yurts serving as polling stations, people began to vote in the landlocked country sandwiched between Russia and China that was once viewed as an oasis of democracy full of economic promise.

Nomadic herders filed into a yurt in the city of Erdene Sum, 100 km east of the capital Ulan Bator to cast their ballots, wearing the traditional deel coat, fedoras and boots.

“As a voter I believe justice is the most important thing for Mongolia,” said Dendev Boris, 63, who unlike others showed up in a business suit.

“There must be justice in every industry,” he said. “I haven’t taken the corruption allegations too seriously because they have not been proven.”

The next president will inherit a $5.5 billion International Monetary Fund-led bailout designed to stabilise its economy and lessen its dependence on China, which purchases 80 per cent of Mongolian exports. — AFP