Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party
Encyclopedia
The Mongolian People's Party formerly the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party is an ex-communist political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...

. The party is abbreviated MPP in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and (MAN) in (transliterated
Transliteration
Transliteration is a subset of the science of hermeneutics. It is a form of translation, and is the practice of converting a text from one script into another...

) Mongolian. The party in 2010 reverted to its original name by dropping the word 'Revolutionary'

The MPRP was the ruling party of Mongolia from 1921 until 1996 (with no other political parties allowed until 1990), and from 2000 until 2004. Since 2006, it has been the leading force in two coalition governments. The incumbent prime minister, Sükhbaataryn Batbold
Sükhbaataryn Batbold
Sükhbaataryn Batbold is the Prime Minister of Mongolia. He was previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of his predecessor, Sanjaagiin Bayar.-Education and Personal Life:...

, is from the MPP. Additionally, MPRP-backed candidates have won several presidential elections.

Communist era

The party was established on March 1, 1921, and is claimed to have been the first real political party in Mongolia. It was originally known simply as the Mongolian People's Party, but added the word "Revolutionary" at a conference in 1924. The organizational structure was modeled closely on that of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The Communist Party of the Soviet Union was the only legal, ruling political party in the Soviet Union and one of the largest communist organizations in the world...

, which the party followed closely.

The early days of the party were marked with considerable controversy, often related to Mongolia's relationship to the Soviet Union; eventually, the pro-Soviet faction was triumphant. Power struggles routinely turned violent: In the early 1920s, leaders and founding members of the party like Dogsomyn Bodoo
Dogsomyn Bodoo
Dogsomyn Bodoo was a Prime Minister of Mongolia from 1921 to 1922. He had been a lama before becoming a clerk and a founding member of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party. He became Prime Minister of the provisional parliamentary state from April 16, 1921 to January 7, 1922...

, Dambyn Chagdarjav
Dambyn Chagdarjav
Dambyn Chagdarjav was one of the “first seven” leaders of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party and was later prime minister of Mongolia’s provisional government from March to April 1921....

 and Soliin Danzan
Soliin Danzan
Soliin Danzan was a Mongolian revolutionary and chairman of the Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party ....

 were executed by rival factions. During the Stalinist
Stalinism
Stalinism refers to the ideology that Joseph Stalin conceived and implemented in the Soviet Union, and is generally considered a branch of Marxist–Leninist ideology but considered by some historians to be a significant deviation from this philosophy...

 phase under Khorloogiin Choibalsan in the late thirties, two prime ministers, Peljidiin Genden and Anandyn Amar
Anandyn Amar
Anandyn Amar , was the head of state of the Mongolian People’s Republic from 1932 to 1936 as well as prime minister from 1928–1930 and again from 1936-1939.-Early life and career:...

 were brought to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 and executed there, while Demid allegedly died from food poisoning in a Russian train.

Choibalsan was followed by Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal, who was Prime Minister of Mongolia for twenty-two years (the longest time served by any Prime Minister). Tsedenbal was considerably more moderate than Choibalsan, but his long reign and, towards the end, declining health led to comparisons with Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Brezhnev
Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev  – 10 November 1982) was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union , presiding over the country from 1964 until his death in 1982. His eighteen-year term as General Secretary was second only to that of Joseph Stalin in...

.

Multi Party Era

In the 1990s, Mongolia began to modernize its political system, implementing many of the reforms seen in the Soviet Union. The party won the democratic elections of 1990 and 1992,and remained in office until 1996, when the Mongolian Democratic Union
Mongolian Democratic Union
The Democratic Union Coalition was a coalition of political parties in Mongolia. Its primary constituents were the National Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party, and its core policies were the implementation of political and economic reforms in the post-communist period.In the 1996...

 won power.

Under the leadership of Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, the Speaker of Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and the President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009...

, the party modernized its corrupted image and appeared to shed many of the legacies of communism. Today, the party portrays itself as a social democratic organization, and its leader claims to be an admirer of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...

. Based on this image and helped by the perceived failure of the Democratic Union government, the MPRP won a landslide victory in the 2000 elections.

Critics of the party, however, allege that its "reform" was illusionary, and that the party's success was the result of better public relations rather than any real change. In particular, the party's critics have alleged that the People's Revolutionary Party sought to acquire and censor television and print media, and there were claims of opposition journalists being imprisoned. There were also several high-profile cases on inflictions on international civil or human right norms by state authorities, like the abduction of D.Enkhbat from France, the imprisonment of his lawyer L.Sanjaasuren, and the detention of MP Lamjavyn Gündalai
Lamjavyn Gündalai
Lamjavyn Gündalai is a Mongolian politician. He has been a member of parliament since 2000 and served as Minister of Health from January 2006 to January 2007....

 in 2003.

Since 2003 the party has the status of a full membership in the Socialist International.

Elections of 2004

The elections of June 27, 2004, saw a major defeat for the People's Revolutionary Party, which lost a total of 35 seats (47% of what it had previously held), resulting in a close tie between the MPRP and the democratic coalition. After the election, both MPRP and the opposition accused each other of irregularities. In the end, re-elections were done in a small number of constituencies. Nonetheless, both sides agreed on a power-sharing agreement in August 2004. As part of the terms of the power-sharing agreement, the MPRP would regain the Prime Ministership in August 2006 after a term in office by Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Mongolia)
The Democratic Party is a conservative liberal and libertarian political party in Mongolia. Its primary goals are the continued transformation of Mongolia into an open and democratic society.- History :...

.

Government change of 2006

In January 2006, the MPRP decided to withdraw from the coalition, and its ten ministers resigned. This meant that more than half of the minister positions were vacant, so the parliament had no choice but to dissolve the government, removing Elbegdorj from power. The MPRP felt strong enough for this step because a DP member in parliament had switched to the MPRP a few days earlier, giving them exactly half the seats. The votes of four more DP members supporting the change (later to be rewarded with minister positions) resulted in an effective MPRP majority. In this configuration, and on nomination by president Enkhbayar, the parliament approved Miyeegombyn Enkhbold as the new prime minister on January 25, 2006.

The events triggered strong protests from civic groups and their followers, camping on the central Sükhbaatar square in Ulan Bator for weeks, despite police efforts to drive them away. Pro-MPRP rallies were short lived in comparison, and some participants indicated that they had received money from MPRP to join. Anti-MPRP protests flared up again in April 2006.

Individuals and organizations raised concerns that the government change might have been unconstitutional, but no specific violations could be shown.
Also of interest was the time chosen. In November 2005, Customs Director General Kh. Baatar had been arrested on charges of corruption. As a result of his questioning, several high ranking MPRP members had come under suspicion as well, and were reported to have visited him in jail just a few days before ending the coalition. Opposition forces alleged that executing the government change just a few months before the date intended by the coalition agreement was instrumental in controlling the investigations in this case.

In a re-election in September 2006, the MPRP received another seat that had previously been held by a Democratic Party member.

Elections of 2008

Mongolian legislative election
Mongolian legislative election, 2008
A legislative election in Mongolia was held on June 29, 2008. A total of 356 candidates were running for 76 seats in the State Great Khural. According to official results published on July 14, at least 39 seats went to the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party , and at least 25 seats went...

 held on June 29, 2008, caused riots in Mongolian capital after allegations of vote rigging and election fraud. A four-day state of emergency has been declared since July 2. In the evening of July 1, anti-MPRP protesters gathered in front of the MPRP headquarters, clashed with the police, and set the building on fire. Police used batons, water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. Around midnight local time, President Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, the Speaker of Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and the President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009...

 declared a state of emergency to be in effect for the following four days. The Cultural Palace, north of the MPRP headquarters, was also set on fire. Five people were reported killed in the protests; all were civilians.

According to preliminary results published on June 30, 2008, the ruling MPRP won at least 41 seats, the main opposition DP won at least 25 seats, and at least one seat was won by an independent candidate. Other estimations give the MPRP 44 seats, the DP 21 seats, and three other parties one seat each, with eight seats remaining to be tallied.

Schism

In 2010 the MPRP took "Revolutionary" out of its name and rechristened itself the Mongolian People's Party. A few months later, in early 2011, former President and Prime Minister Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar
Nambaryn Enkhbayar is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, the Speaker of Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and the President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009...

, who had opposed the name change, was elected leader of a new Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.

List of Leaders

  • Dambyn Chagdarjav
    Dambyn Chagdarjav
    Dambyn Chagdarjav was one of the “first seven” leaders of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party and was later prime minister of Mongolia’s provisional government from March to April 1921....

     1921
  • Dogsomyn Bodoo
    Dogsomyn Bodoo
    Dogsomyn Bodoo was a Prime Minister of Mongolia from 1921 to 1922. He had been a lama before becoming a clerk and a founding member of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party. He became Prime Minister of the provisional parliamentary state from April 16, 1921 to January 7, 1922...

     1921-1922
  • Jalkhanz Khutagt Sodnomyn Damdinbazar
    Jalkhanz Khutagt Sodnomyn Damdinbazar
    The Jalkhanz Khutagt Sodnomyn Damdinbazar was a high lamaist incarnation in northwestern Mongolia, and played a high-profile role in the country's independence movement...

     1922-1923
  • Balingiin Tserendorj
    Balingiin Tserendorj
    Balingiin Tserendorj was a Mongolian political figure and the first Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Mongolia from 1924 to 1928.-Early life and career:...

     1923-1928
  • Khorloogiin Choibalsan 1928-1952
  • Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal 1952-1974
  • Jambyn Batmönkh 1974-1984
  • Dumaagiin Sodnom
    Dumaagiin Sodnom
    Dumaagiin Sodnom is a Mongolian political figure who served as Mongolia's 14th Prime Minister from 1984 to 1990.Sodnom was born in the Örgön District of Dornogovi Province on 14 July 1933. He first attended school in the Bayanmönkh district of Khentii Province and then went on to study at the...

     1984-1990
  • Sharavyn Gungaadorj
    Sharavyn Gungaadorj
    Sharavyn Gungaadorj is a Mongolian politician and was the 15th Prime Minister of Mongolia from March 21 to September 11 in 1990.- Life :...

     1990
  • Dashiin Byambasüren
    Dashiin Byambasüren
    Dashiin Byambasüren is a former Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party politician who was Prime Minister of Mongolia from 11 September 1990 - 21 July 1992, as the first one to be appointed by a democratically elected parliament. He comes from a Buryat background...

     1990-1992
  • Puntsagiin Jasrai
    Puntsagiin Jasrai
    Puntsagiin Jasrai was a Mongolian politician. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 21 July 1992 until 19 July 1996.-Education and early career:...

     1992-1997
  • Nambaryn Enkhbayar
    Nambaryn Enkhbayar
    Nambaryn Enkhbayar is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2000 to 2004, the Speaker of Parliament from 2004 to 2005, and the President of Mongolia from 2005 to 2009...

     1997-2005
  • Sanjaagiin Bayar
    Sanjaagiin Bayar
    Sanjaagiin Bayar is a Mongolian politician who was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Mongolia from 22 November 2007 to 8 April 2009, and Prime Minister of Mongolia from 22 November 2007 to 29 October 2009. He announced on October 26, 2009, that he was going to resign his position as...

     2005-2010
  • Sükhbaataryn Batbold
    Sükhbaataryn Batbold
    Sükhbaataryn Batbold is the Prime Minister of Mongolia. He was previously the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of his predecessor, Sanjaagiin Bayar.-Education and Personal Life:...

    2010-present

External links

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