Mongolia
Mongolia, 1992 to today. Draft, not yet reviewed
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia. With a population of 3.5 million, Mongolia is the world's most sparsely populated sovereign state, excluding Western Sahara. After the anti-communist revolutions of 1989, Mongolia conducted its own peaceful democratic revolution in 1990, which led to a multi-party system, a new constitution of 1992, and transition to a market economy.
Seat of power: Ulaanbaatar
Rulers
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat
President of Mongolia, 1990–1997
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat was a Mongolian politician and geologist who served as the first president of Mongolia from 1990 to 1997. During his presidential tenure, he oversaw the drafting of a new constitution, the country's democratization and free market transition. As inaugural officeholder, he went onto become the first Mongolian president to be elected by direct popular vote in 1993.
Portrait of Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat: European Communities, CC BY 4.0, file
Natsagiin Bagabandi
President of Mongolia, 1997–2005
Natsagiin Bagabandi served as the President of Mongolia from 1997 to 2005. He won the 1997 presidential election and subsequently the 2001 presidential election, serving a total of two terms.
Portrait of Natsagiin Bagabandi: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC0, file
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
President of Mongolia, 2005–2009
Nambaryn Enkhbayar served as the prime minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, as the chairman of the State Great Khural from 2004 to 2005, and as the third president of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009. He is the first person to have held all three top positions in the Mongolian government. Due to his corruption scandal, he is regarded by the public media as the godfather of corruption in Mongolian politics.
Portrait of Nambaryn Enkhbayar: The Presidential Press and Information Office, CC BY 4.0, file
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Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
President of Mongolia, 2009–2017
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj served as the president of Mongolia from 2009 to 2017. Elbegdorj was one of the key leaders of the 1990 Mongolian democratic revolution that ended 70 years of communist rule in Mongolia, and co-drafted the country's 1992 constitution that guaranteed democracy and a free market economy.
Portrait of Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj: Government of Mongolia, CC BY 4.0, file
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Khaltmaagiin Battulga
President of Mongolia, 2017–2021
Khaltmaagiin Battulga served as the fifth president of Mongolia from 2017 to 2021. He was the Democratic Party's candidate in the 2017 presidential election and was elected president with 50.6% in the run-off, the first-ever run-off election in modern Mongolian history. After the constitutional amendments of 2019, which limited the presidential term to a non-renewable six year term, Battulga was barred from running a second term.
Portrait of Khaltmaagiin Battulga: Монгол Улсын Ерөнхийлөгчийн Тамгийн газар, CC BY 4.0, file
Khurelsukh Ukhnaa
President of Mongolia, 2021 to today
Ukhnaagiin Khürelsükh assumed office as the country's sixth president in 2021. He previously served as the 30th and 31st prime minister from 2017 to 2021.
Portrait of Khurelsukh Ukhnaa: Монгол Улсын Ерөнхийлөгчийн Тамгийн газар, CC BY 4.0, file
Culture
- Approximately 30% of the population is nomadic or semi-nomadic; horse culture remains integral.
- Mahayana Buddhism is the majority religion (51.7%), with the irreligious being the second-largest group (40.6%).
- By the early 20th century, almost one-third of the adult male population were Buddhist monks.
Picture
Ulaanbaatar is the capital and largest city of Mongolia, founded in 1639 as a nomadic Buddhist monastic centre.
Image: Zazaa Mongolia, CC BY-SA 4.0, file
Sources
Text adapted from the Wikipedia articles listed as sources, CC BY-SA 4.0.