The young democracy of Mongolia begins voting for an expanded 126-seat parliament

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Voters in the youthful democracy of Mongolia are electing a new parliament on Friday in the landlocked Asian democracy that is squeezed between China and Russia, two much larger authoritarian states.

At stake are 126 seats in an expanded parliament, 50 more than in the previous election in 2020. That contest was won by the Mongolian People's Party in a landslide. The ruling party still appears to hold the upper hand, but other parties may be able to capitalize on voter discontent to eat into its majority.

About two dozen voters lined up on a staircase heading down to a polling station in the outskirts of Ulaanbaatar, some muttering complaints because it opened 10 minutes late. Some of the older voters, including community leaders, dressed up in formal silk robes sinched with large leather belts for the occasion.

Inside, voters sat to fill out their ballot and then put it into an electronic vote counting machine. An indelible mark was put on one of their fingers to prevent them from trying to vote again.

Many in the district, a “ger” area where people originally settled in nomadic tents, are supporters of the ruling Mongolian People's Party. But some younger voters expressed disappointment with the People's Party, and said they chose younger candidates that they hoped would bring change.

Enkhmandakh Boldbaatar, who is 38, said he voted for neither the People's Party nor the main opposition party, the Democratic Party, saying they also had not performed well. There are 19 parties vying for seat in the parliament.

“I've been living here for 38 years, yet the area is the same,” he said “Only this road and some buildings were constructed. Things would have been different if they worked for the people.”

There are 2,198 polling stations spread out across the sparsely populated country, which is large geographically but has a population of only 3.4 million people. The voting stations close at 10 p.m. with preliminary results expected early Saturday morning.

Mongolia became a democracy in 1990, ending more than six decades of one-party communist rule under the same People's Party that is in power today. The ruling party has transformed into a center-left party in the democratic era.

Naranchimeg Lamjav, a 69-year-old People’s Party member wearing a traditional blue robe, cited a party election slogan of building on the first three decades under democracy.

“I support the current government led by Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene (Luvsannamsrai), because they are establishing justice and starting the new era of 30 years," she said after voting.

The main opposition has been the Democratic Party, a center-right party, though the HUN Party has emerged in this election as a potential third force.

Many voters have come to view the parliament as “thieves” bent on enriching themselves and their business friends though the public treasury. Corruption scandals have eroded confidence in the government and political parties.

Besides corruption, major issues for voters include unemployment and inflation in an economy rocked first by the COVID-19 pandemic and then the fallout from the war in Ukraine. The country's livestock herders were also hit by a “dzud” this year, a combination of severe weather and drought, that killed 7.1 million animals.