2017 Mongolian presidential election

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2017 Mongolian presidential election
Flag of Mongolia.svg
  2013 26 June 2017 (first round)
7 July 2017 (second round)
2021  

Majority of the popular vote needed to prevent a run-off
Turnout68.27% (first round) Increase2.svg1.77pp
60.67% (second round) Decrease2.svg 7.60pp
  Khaltmaagiin Battulga (2017-09-07).jpg Miyeegombyn Enkbold in 2017 (cropped).png
Nominee Khaltmaagiin Battulga Miyeegombyn Enkhbold
Party Democratic MPP
Popular vote611,226497,067
Percentage55.15%44.85%

2017 Mongolian Presidential Election.svg
Second round results by province

President before election

Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
Democratic

Elected President

Khaltmaagiin Battulga
Democratic

Presidential elections were held in Mongolia on 26 June 2017. Incumbent president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, first elected in 2009 and re-elected in 2013, was constitutionally barred from running for a third term. [1]

Contents

For the first time, no candidate received a majority vote in the first round, forcing a run-off between the Democratic Party (DP) candidate Khaltmaagiin Battulga and the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) candidate Miyeegombyn Enkhbold on 7 July, brought forward from 9 July. [2] [3] [4] The third-placed Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) candidate Sainkhuugiin Ganbaatar refused to recognise the results after he missed out on the second round, due to finishing 1,849 votes behind Enkhbold. Ganbaatar claimed fraud and that an additional 35,000 votes had been added to the total. The MPRP demanded a recount of votes in Bayan-Ölgii Province. [5]

In the second round, Battulga was narrowly elected with 50.61% of the valid votes, or 55% of the votes cast for a candidate, while Enkhbold received 44.85% of the votes cast. Battulga was officially inaugurated as the fifth president of Mongolia on 10 July 2017. [6]

Electoral system

The President of Mongolia is elected using the two-round system. [7] Mongolian electoral law considers the blank votes casts in presidential elections as valid votes. The General Election Commission thus includes blank votes in its calculations of the proportion of the vote won by each candidate; as a result, it is possible for no candidate to receive a majority of the vote in the second round. If this happens, the entire election is annulled and fresh elections would be held with new candidates. [8]

Candidates

Three political parties with seats in the State Great Khural were eligible to nominate a presidential candidate; the Mongolian People's Party (MPP), the Democratic Party (DP) and the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP). [9]

Registered candidates

NamesBornLast positionParty
Miyeegombyn Enkbold in 2017 (cropped).png
Miyeegombyn Enkhbold
19 July 1964 (61)
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Chairman of the State Great Khural (2016-2019)

Chairman of the MPP (2013-2017) Former Prime Minister of Mongolia (2006-2007) [9] [10]

Logo of the Mongolian People's Party.svg Mongolian People's Party
Khaltmaagiin Battulga in 2017.png
Khaltmaagiin Battulga
3 March 1963 (62)
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Former Member of the State Great Khural [10] Democratic Party of Mongolia logo.png Democratic Party of Mongolia
Sainkhuugiin Ganbaatar in 2021 (cropped).jpg
Sainkhuugiin Ganbaatar
30 July 1970 (55)
Bayankhongor, Mongolia
Former Member of the State Great Khural Logo of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (2010).svg Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party

The MPRP had originally selected Nambaryn Enkhbayar as its candidate at a conference on 5 May. However, the Mongolian Election Commission refused to allow Enkhbayar to run as a candidate as he had an outstanding criminal record and had not spent the last five years in the country, having lived abroad from August 2013 until October 2014. As a result, the party selected Sainkhuugiin Ganbaatar as its candidate. The party's sole MP, Oktyabriin Baasankhüü, was opposed to Ganbaatar's nomination and left the party. [11]

Use of blank vote as strategic voting

With the election being the first time a second round was needed, it became apparent the electoral law was imprecise on the rule of campaigning in between the two rounds. The lack of clear rule was interpreted by the General Election Commission (GEC) as an interdiction on political campaign. Sainkhuugiin Ganbaatar, who narrowly missed the second round, began a campaign calling to cast a blank vote, so as to have none of the remaining candidate reach the 50% threshold needed, leading to a new election. While not a campaign for a candidate per se, this was nonetheless ruled by the GEC as an electoral campaign, and thus forbidden. In the second round, 99,494 blank votes were gathered, totalling 8.23% of the total of valid votes, failing close to the intended result by a few thousand votes. [12]

Results

With the blank votes being officially included, Battulga passed the 50% threshold by just 7,333 votes (50.61%).

CandidatePartyFirst roundSecond round
Votes%Votes%
Khaltmaagiin Battulga Democratic Party 517,47838.64611,22655.15
Miyeegombyn Enkhbold Mongolian People's Party 411,74830.75497,06744.85
Sainkhüügiin Ganbaatar Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party 409,89930.61
Total1,339,125100.001,108,293100.00
Valid votes1,339,12598.631,108,29391.76
Invalid/blank votes18,6631.3799,4948.24
Total votes1,357,788100.001,207,787100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,978,29868.631,990,78760.67
Source: GEC, GEC

By area

First round
Subdivision
Khaltmaagiin Battulga (2017-09-07).jpg Miyeegombyn Enkbold in 2017 (cropped).png Sainkhuugiin Ganbaatar in 2021 (cropped).jpg
K. Battulga
DP
M. Enkhbold
MPP
S. Ganbaatar
MPRP
Aimags of Mongolia
Arkhangai 12,39831.47%12,05930.61%14,93237.90%
Bayan-Ölgii 14,21836.68%19,33249.88%5,20513.43%
Bayankhongor 23,88660.44%11,49729.09%4,13710.46%
Bulgan 8,58532.23%7,78229.22%10,26338.53%
Govi-Altai 6,56527.06%9,59239.54%8,10133.39%
Dornogovi 9,20632.44%9,53533.60%9,63533.95%
Govisümber 2,41434.47%2,03129.00%2,55736.51%
Dornod 10,28833.94%8,09226.70%11,92439.34%
Dundgovi 5,41427.67%5,14226.28%9,00446.03%
Zavkhan 12,02238.46%12,50540.01%6,72621.52%
Övörkhangai 14,62431.50%17,90838.58%13,88329.91%
Ömnögovi 8,08730.16%7,23826.99%11,48442.83%
Sükhbaatar 9,32033.58%10,02336.11%8,41130.30%
Selenge 14,84432.28%15,61933.96%15,51933.75%
Töv 11,25327.67%16,54640.69%12,85531.62%
Uvs 10,35530.67%16,69849.46%6,70319.85%
Khovd 10,06029.58%13,72440.35%10,22130.05%
Khövsgöl 17,42032.24%18,80234.80%17,80432.95%
Khentii 11,25336.04%7,80424.99%12,16238.95%
Darkhan-Uul 12,42730.05%12,56530.39%16,35139.54%
Orkhon 14,77134.28%9,86322.89%18,45142.82%
Düüregs of Ulaanbaatar
Khan-Uul 34,59546.50%21,02728.26%18,76125.22%
Baganuur 4,27535.34%4,07733.71%3,74230.94%
Bagakhangai 50925.94%1,10456.26%34917.78%
Bayanzürkh 67,33645.21%37,91125.45%43,66129.32%
Nalaikh 5,54234.28%4,17225.81%6,45039.90%
Sükhbaatar 29,40746.50%18,30328.94%15,52424.55%
Chingeltei 31,06543.39%17,59124.57%22,92332.02%
Bayangol 48,31450.59%25,83127.04%21,35022.35%
Songino Khairkhan 63,97838.47%36,28625.86%50,02235.65%
Overseas2,97963.19%99521.10%74015.69%
Total517,47838.10%411,74830.30%409,89930.19%
Second round
Subdivision Khaltmaagiin Battulga (2017-09-07).jpg Miyeegombyn Enkbold in 2017 (cropped).png
K. Battulga
DP
M. Enkhbold
MPP
Aimags of Mongolia
Arkhangai 16,76347.43%15,55943.91%
Bayan-Ölgii 16,20142.11%21,30655.38%
Bayankhongor 23,08564.65%11,94433.45%
Bulgan 11,56849.95%9,36040.42%
Govi-Altai 8,33440.51%10,79352.46%
Dornogovi 11,65744.86%12,45647.93%
Govisümber 2,76442.13%3,33150.77%
Dornod 13,53551.52%10,27139.09%
Dundgovi 6,42036.93%8,24347.42%
Zavkhan 14,63248.99%13,99346.85%
Övörkhangai 20,20948.46%19,00145.57%
Ömnögovi 10,25848.14%8,41239.48%
Sükhbaatar 11,62848.51%10,86045.31%
Selenge 18,38144.16%20,03248.12%
Töv 14,56240.22%19,19253.01%
Uvs 12,17239.23%17,36755.97%
Khovd 13,13544.10%14,45148.52%
Khövsgöl 24,13549.20%21,55043.93%
Khentii 14,45253.75%9,65835.92%
Darkhan-Uul 16,49645.54%16,15444.59%
Orkhon 20,04253.78%12,45233.41%
Düüregs of Ulaanbaatar
Khan-Uul 38,04756.19%23,47634.67%
Baganuur 5,19347.71%4,79144.02%
Bagakhangai 68236.73%1,10859.67%
Bayanzürkh 75,76555.11%49,03035.66%
Nalaikh 6,97945.52%7,06846.10%
Sükhbaatar 32,63455.60%20,71735.30%
Chingeltei 34,80754.02%23,38236.29%
Bayangol 51,59658.63%29,10233.07%
Songino Khairkhan 64,27250.87%50,34339.85%
Overseas2,03075.86%49718.57%
Total611,22650.61%497,06741.16%

References

  1. Presidential election planned for June 26 Montsame, 26 January 2017
  2. No decisive winner in Mongolia presidential vote: election committee Reuters, 26 June 2017
  3. Presidential election:second ballot on July 9 Montsame, 26 June 2017
  4. Election of the President of Mongolia moved to July 7 ARD, 28 June 2017 (in Mongolian)
  5. "Началось. Ганбаатар: Мы не признаем сообщения ЦИК. ВИДЕО". ARD. 27 June 2017. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  6. ithememn (10 July 2017). "Inauguration adress by Khaltmaagiin Battulga, the president of Mongolia, at the ceremony of presidential swearing into office". President of Mongolia. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  7. Mongolia IFES
  8. Law on Election Ace Project
  9. 1 2 Who will be the fifth President of Mongolia? The UB Post, 9 January 2017
  10. 1 2 Mongolia opposition taps former judo star as presidential candidate Reuters, 4 May 2017
  11. "У МНРП сменился кандидат в президенты: вместо Н.Энхбаяра будет С.Ганбаатар". ARD. 17 May 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  12. "Началось. Ганбаатар: Мы не признаем сообщения ЦИК. ВИДЕО". Archived from the original on 30 June 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2017.