Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, a member of Bellwether Forum’s advisory board, was named Prime Minister of Mongolia on August 20, 2004, following parliamentary elections in July.
In the previous parliament, the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), the former communist party, held 72 out of 76 seats. Elbegdorj leads the center-right Democratic Coalition of parties, which shocked the MPRP by soundly winning 36 out of 76 seats in the July election. Both sides contest two seats, which remain unfilled.
A two-month political crisis followed the surprising electoral result, during which the MPRP and the Democratic Coalition held separate sessions of parliament.
Ultimately, the Democratic Coalition entered into a power-sharing agreement with the MPRP. Per that agreement, the former prime minister and chairman of the MPRP, Nambaryn Enkhbayar, became Speaker of the Great Hural parliament (similar to the U.S. House of Representatives).
For most of the twentieth century, Mongolia was governed by a one-party communist system. Indeed, Mongolia was second on the roll of communist states, behind only Russia, and remained under communist rule longer than any other country, for 75 years. In 1991, Elbegdorj was one of a handful of young leaders who led a peaceful revolution to install democracy.
Elbegdorj’s challenge as prime minister will be intense. Although he was previously prime minister in 1998, and his party held power from 1996 to 2000, his current administration is only the second time Mongolia has ever been ruled by a democratic party.
Following his party’s defeat in 2000, Elbegdorj came to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in government at Harvard University, and to meet like-minded leaders. During his lengthy stay in America, he gained substantial grounding and sophistication in the breadth of his policy expertise and political skills. Elbegdorj sought counsel from respected sources such as Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman, former Senator Bob Dole, former Secretary of State James Baker, the Heritage Foundation, and many others.
In June 2003, Bellwether Forum hosted Elbegdorj, in Houston, where he spoke to our membership, as well as to a large gathering of attorneys at our Ethics, Law, and Life conference. For a transcript of his remarks to the conference, click here.