Voting is underway in an election in Mongolia for an expanded 126-seat parliament
Voters in Mongolia are electing a new parliament on Friday in the landlocked democracy that is squeezed between China and Russia, two much larger authoritarian states
ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Voters in Mongolia are electing a new parliament on Friday in their landlocked 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.
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. (1400 GMT) 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.
