Assembly of Mongolian People`s Revolutionary Party to select its presidential candidate was held today.
Six members of the party nominated themselves for the presidential candidate and N.Enkhbayar, former President of Mongolia officially announced as the MPRP’s candidate for the Presidential election that will be held on June 26.
His contesters are:
- M.Enkhkbold, a presidential candidate of Mongolian People`s Party
- Kh.Battulga, a presidential candidate of Democratic Party
About N.Enkbayar:
Nambaryn Enkhbayar was born on 1 June 1958 in Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. He finished a secondary school in 1975, and earned an undergraduate degree majoring in literature and language studies from Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow, Russia in 1980. He studied at an English language and literature course at Leeds University in the United Kingdom in 1985-1986. Enkhbayar became the chairman of the Association of Mongolian Writers in 1990. He is married to Onongiin Tsolmon in 1987 and they have four children.
He is the first person to have held all of the top three positions in Mongolian government. He served as the Prime Minister from 2000 to 2004, as Speaker of the Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and as President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009.
In 2010 Enkhbayar established a political party and named it Mongolian People`s Revolutionary Party. Enkhbayar became the chairman of his established party.
The Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) arrested Enkhbayar at the dawn of 13 April 2012. The IAAC stated that it arrested Enkhbayar for questioning in a graft case involving the illegal privatization of a government-owned hotel because he never showed up for questioning eleven times over a year during the investigation, thus it was forced to arrest him.
Over 1000 members of MPRP and Enkhbayar's supporters participated in a demonstration demanding Enkhbayar's release on the same day of his arrest. During his imprisonment, as well as in prison's hospital where Enkhbayar had exclusive four rooms for his sole use, his government cook cooked him his special meals and his state bodyguards protected him. On 4 May 2012, Enkhbayar announced a dry hunger strike demanding his release. He lost around 12 kilograms in 16 days. Amnesty International issued a statement demanding the Mongolian authority to respect human rights of Enkhbayar compatible to international standards. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made a phone call to President Ts.Elbegdorj expressing concern over Enkhbayar's health. Enkhbayar was released on bail on 14 May 2012. The United States Senator Dianne Feinstein expressed to the U.S.Senate her pleasure for Enkhbayar's release on bail and said "For any democracy, due process and the rule of law are essential.”
On 8 June 2012 the General Elections Committee (GEC) refused to register Enkhbayar as a candidate for 2012 parliamentary elections in MPRP party list listed as number one. It stated that the official documents sent from the Prosecutor's Office and Sukhbaatar District Court of Ulaanbaatar required the rejection of Enkhbayar's application pending the case. However, Enkhbayar and his lawyers argue that the incumbent president, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who took office in 2009, engineered the corruption case to keep him from running in the coming elections. They claim that the court gave them insufficient time to review the prosecutors' evidence and witness statements. The election authorities' denial of Enkhbayar's candidacy on 6 June, they say, violates his constitutional right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. According to a US-based independent trial observer, the five charges leveled against Enkhbayar seem overblown and unsubstantiated. One accuses him of misappropriating TV equipment that was intended for a Buddhist monastery. Another alleges that he illegally shipped eight copies of his autobiography to South Korea on a government plane.
On 2 August 2012, after a three-day trial Sukhbaatar District Court convicted Enkhbayar of corruption and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, three of which was pardoned and then gave four years prison term and fined with over MNT 1.7 billion for misusing state properties and government power. Enkhbayar's sentence was reduced to two and a half year prison term without the fine by the Supreme Court of Mongolia-the highest court in Mongolia for graft and embezzlement such as misappropriation of government properties and assets such as Sukhbaatar printing factory and an Urgoo hotel to his family, and misuse of his government position.
However, Enkhbayar spent less than a month in prison and spent the rest of his prison term as a patient at the Second General Hospital where high-ranking government officials are medically treated. This was a result of a change of the prisoners' medical treatment rule by health minister Natsagiin Udval, his MPRP`s secretary general.
On 1 August 2013, President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj issued a decree to pardon Enkhbayar thus releasing him from the rest of his jail term effective on the decree date.
Assembly of Mongolian People`s Revolutionary Party to select its presidential candidate was held today.
Six members of the party nominated themselves for the presidential candidate and N.Enkhbayar, former President of Mongolia officially announced as the MPRP’s candidate for the Presidential election that will be held on June 26.
His contesters are:
- M.Enkhkbold, a presidential candidate of Mongolian People`s Party
- Kh.Battulga, a presidential candidate of Democratic Party
About N.Enkbayar:
Nambaryn Enkhbayar was born on 1 June 1958 in Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. He finished a secondary school in 1975, and earned an undergraduate degree majoring in literature and language studies from Maxim Gorky Literature Institute in Moscow, Russia in 1980. He studied at an English language and literature course at Leeds University in the United Kingdom in 1985-1986. Enkhbayar became the chairman of the Association of Mongolian Writers in 1990. He is married to Onongiin Tsolmon in 1987 and they have four children.
He is the first person to have held all of the top three positions in Mongolian government. He served as the Prime Minister from 2000 to 2004, as Speaker of the Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and as President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009.
In 2010 Enkhbayar established a political party and named it Mongolian People`s Revolutionary Party. Enkhbayar became the chairman of his established party.
The Independent Authority Against Corruption (IAAC) arrested Enkhbayar at the dawn of 13 April 2012. The IAAC stated that it arrested Enkhbayar for questioning in a graft case involving the illegal privatization of a government-owned hotel because he never showed up for questioning eleven times over a year during the investigation, thus it was forced to arrest him.
Over 1000 members of MPRP and Enkhbayar's supporters participated in a demonstration demanding Enkhbayar's release on the same day of his arrest. During his imprisonment, as well as in prison's hospital where Enkhbayar had exclusive four rooms for his sole use, his government cook cooked him his special meals and his state bodyguards protected him. On 4 May 2012, Enkhbayar announced a dry hunger strike demanding his release. He lost around 12 kilograms in 16 days. Amnesty International issued a statement demanding the Mongolian authority to respect human rights of Enkhbayar compatible to international standards. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon made a phone call to President Ts.Elbegdorj expressing concern over Enkhbayar's health. Enkhbayar was released on bail on 14 May 2012. The United States Senator Dianne Feinstein expressed to the U.S.Senate her pleasure for Enkhbayar's release on bail and said "For any democracy, due process and the rule of law are essential.”
On 8 June 2012 the General Elections Committee (GEC) refused to register Enkhbayar as a candidate for 2012 parliamentary elections in MPRP party list listed as number one. It stated that the official documents sent from the Prosecutor's Office and Sukhbaatar District Court of Ulaanbaatar required the rejection of Enkhbayar's application pending the case. However, Enkhbayar and his lawyers argue that the incumbent president, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who took office in 2009, engineered the corruption case to keep him from running in the coming elections. They claim that the court gave them insufficient time to review the prosecutors' evidence and witness statements. The election authorities' denial of Enkhbayar's candidacy on 6 June, they say, violates his constitutional right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. According to a US-based independent trial observer, the five charges leveled against Enkhbayar seem overblown and unsubstantiated. One accuses him of misappropriating TV equipment that was intended for a Buddhist monastery. Another alleges that he illegally shipped eight copies of his autobiography to South Korea on a government plane.
On 2 August 2012, after a three-day trial Sukhbaatar District Court convicted Enkhbayar of corruption and sentenced to seven years of imprisonment, three of which was pardoned and then gave four years prison term and fined with over MNT 1.7 billion for misusing state properties and government power. Enkhbayar's sentence was reduced to two and a half year prison term without the fine by the Supreme Court of Mongolia-the highest court in Mongolia for graft and embezzlement such as misappropriation of government properties and assets such as Sukhbaatar printing factory and an Urgoo hotel to his family, and misuse of his government position.
However, Enkhbayar spent less than a month in prison and spent the rest of his prison term as a patient at the Second General Hospital where high-ranking government officials are medically treated. This was a result of a change of the prisoners' medical treatment rule by health minister Natsagiin Udval, his MPRP`s secretary general.
On 1 August 2013, President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj issued a decree to pardon Enkhbayar thus releasing him from the rest of his jail term effective on the decree date.