Mongolia's prime minister ousted after 4 months in ruling party feud

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BEIJING (AP) — Mongolia ’s parliament has voted to oust the prime minister in an unusually public power struggle within the ruling Mongolian People’s Party.

Opponents of Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojav managed to pass a controversially worded resolution Friday that effectively dismissed him from office.

The parliament also approved the resignation of its speaker, Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve, the prime minister’s chief rival in the internal party struggle.

It wasn't immediately clear who might succeed Zandanshatar, who is acting prime minister until a successor is named, or whether he would challenge his dismissal. He was named prime minister in June.

The political upheaval comes at a critical time because the budget for next year has yet to be passed. Teachers, who are demanding salary hikes in the budget, went on strike this week and medical doctors are threatening to do so too.

The ruling party feud began after Zandanshatar lost a party leadership election to Amarbayasgalan.

The prime minister's supporters then accused the speaker of being involved in corruption in the coal mining industry and a government investigation was launched.

“We are fighting against the theft of the nation’s wealth that has robbed every Mongolian, and we are working to increase the salaries of teachers and doctors,” Zandanshatar said during the debate before the vote on his removal.

Amarbayasgalan had requested on Thursday that he be allowed to resign from his role as speaker of parliament to restore his honor and defend parliamentary democracy.

“The obsession for power among those who lost the election, and their lawless, arbitrary actions within the executive branch, are unlawfully influencing law enforcement agencies, in violation of the Constitution,” he said.

The vote on the prime minister's fate came after a parliamentary committee voted against his dismissal.

The full parliament was then asked if it supported the committee’s decision. In such decisions, lawmakers who don’t vote are counted as “no” votes. The “no” votes were a clear majority, so Zandanshatar was dismissed.

Some backers of the prime minister boycotted the parliament session on Thursday, delaying the vote for one day by denying the 126-member body the quorum needed for a vote.