Elections!
Mongolia's next elections are scheduled for the 29th this month. Some serious and competent commentary can be found at Asiangypsy. The last parliamentary elections led to mutual accusations of fraud in some electorates, and the Democratc Party is already starting to voice some prophylactic objections. The General Election Comission, on the other hand, has now given the data of all potential voters to the parties, and also made each citizen's data available on its website: If you know your registration number (either from your birth certificate or from your I.D. card) and your name, you can find out where you are registered, what your birthday is etc. Of course with Mongolia's generally, let's say, pragmatic attitude towards paperwork, I won't rule out that there may be people with more than one registry number. On the other hand it seems hard to say how this would affect the outcome of the election. Btw. the GEC website also let's you 'vote' on proportional vs. majority voting system.
I personally find the election campaigns budgets of the candidates especially interesting. They were capped at several hundred million MNT (several hundred thousand USD) per electorate district earlier this year, which should break down to several USD (5$ ?) per voter. At my last-but-one district to Mongolia in late summer 2006, we witnessed some of the by-election campaign in electorate 46, western Hövsgöl. The incumbent MP of the region, from the DP, had died, and now the MPRP and, to a letter extent, the other parties poured in rather large amounts of capital in order to convince people to elect their candidate. Our visit at Uudraa's grandmother, whose summer encampment is roughly half-way between Bürentogtoh sum center and Sangiin Dalai nuur, was just in the days running up to the election. Several jeeps from the different parties would visit grandma-in-law, and most of them would leave some small present.
Gündalai's People's Party left a bowl with the face of Chinggis Khan, the Democratic Party left a big insulation can that features prominently on most of the pictures I made these days. The Irgenii Zorig Nam only reminded that she and Grandma were old acquaintances, appealed to female solidarity, and left a ticket for a disco in the sum center, but the MPRP would, on several occasions, hand out a total of 40.000 MNT, plus two glossy magazines, one for children and one for juveniles.
On the morning of election day, Uudraa's grandmother was visited by three men on two bikes, to collect her vote. They and Grandma were joking around a bit, and - just for me, I guess - conducted the voting process in an especially correct manner, with Grandma making her cross behind the curtains of her bed. Of course they knew each other, and probably also knew at which party Grandma made her cross.
The MPRP candidate, Ö. Enhtuvshin, was the one who won this by-election. It would be easy to ascribe it all to the amount of presents given to the voters, but Enhtuvshin is also much more prominent within the MPRP than the DP candidate was within his party. He would be more likely be able to effect certain perks for his voters, like connection of the sum centers to electricity and cell phone networks. As far as I know, this connections to electricity and cell phone services are now largely completed, though I am not sure if this is really all due to Enhtuvshin.
Uudraa lives abroad.
I personally find the election campaigns budgets of the candidates especially interesting. They were capped at several hundred million MNT (several hundred thousand USD) per electorate district earlier this year, which should break down to several USD (5$ ?) per voter. At my last-but-one district to Mongolia in late summer 2006, we witnessed some of the by-election campaign in electorate 46, western Hövsgöl. The incumbent MP of the region, from the DP, had died, and now the MPRP and, to a letter extent, the other parties poured in rather large amounts of capital in order to convince people to elect their candidate. Our visit at Uudraa's grandmother, whose summer encampment is roughly half-way between Bürentogtoh sum center and Sangiin Dalai nuur, was just in the days running up to the election. Several jeeps from the different parties would visit grandma-in-law, and most of them would leave some small present.
A DP campaign convoy. Uudraa's father did not want to come closer. He is a prominent MPRP member in the area and did not want them to see him in the company of some suspicious foreigner.
Gündalai's People's Party left a bowl with the face of Chinggis Khan, the Democratic Party left a big insulation can that features prominently on most of the pictures I made these days. The Irgenii Zorig Nam only reminded that she and Grandma were old acquaintances, appealed to female solidarity, and left a ticket for a disco in the sum center, but the MPRP would, on several occasions, hand out a total of 40.000 MNT, plus two glossy magazines, one for children and one for juveniles.
Let's fight honestly! (DP poster, Mörön)
On the morning of election day, Uudraa's grandmother was visited by three men on two bikes, to collect her vote. They and Grandma were joking around a bit, and - just for me, I guess - conducted the voting process in an especially correct manner, with Grandma making her cross behind the curtains of her bed. Of course they knew each other, and probably also knew at which party Grandma made her cross.
The MPRP candidate, Ö. Enhtuvshin, was the one who won this by-election. It would be easy to ascribe it all to the amount of presents given to the voters, but Enhtuvshin is also much more prominent within the MPRP than the DP candidate was within his party. He would be more likely be able to effect certain perks for his voters, like connection of the sum centers to electricity and cell phone networks. As far as I know, this connections to electricity and cell phone services are now largely completed, though I am not sure if this is really all due to Enhtuvshin.
posted by yan at 1:32 PM
2 Comments:
Vote buying, eh. I read that the Democrats are promising Tg 1million to all adults in the country if they are elected. The MPRP upped the ante by promising Tg 1.5million. And 10 thousand for children.
I don't think many voters felt they had entered any contract. Maybe some. But most probably just took what they could get and voted for the candidate they found most convincing. To be fair to Enhtuvshin, the MPRP candidate, he is from the area, and I also heard from other relatives of Uudraa (MPRP supporters, though) that Otgonsaihan had made a rather weak appearance on the one election speech they saw. He seems to have said very little, with Elbegdorj and some other boss taking all the show.
I seem to remember that 10,000 for children was already promised by the democrats in 2004. After the election it became only 3,000 (and 500,000 for each newlywed couple). I do not think it is unreasonable to support families with kids, this is done in many other countries as well, including mine. Just giving out presents from the state budget does not look like responsible politics, though.
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