President proposes to dissolve Parliament
President Kh.Battulga handed over a proposal about the dissolution of Parliament to Speaker of Parliament M.Enkhbold on October 29.
Under the law, the president of Mongolia has authority to put forward a proposal to disband Parliament before a general election to the speaker of Parliament, but none out of the four presidents before Kh.Battulga made use of this power.
In the letter, the president condemns Parliament and Cabinet, which were formed as a result of the 2016 parliamentary elections, for failing to fulfill their election promises and work in conformity with the law in exercising the state power.
The president noted that Mongolians voted for the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) as it promised to end poverty, overcome the nation’s economic challenges, bring the country out of debt, address state failure, and bring justice and prosperity to the country, but the MPP-led Parliament did not fulfill its promises.
The letter reads, “Lawmakers having fully surrendered to the ways of treating the budget with a pre-election attitude based on their narrow interests, trifling with the national economy, and using their power and influence for personal gains, are completely exploiting the fundamental principles of the Constitution.”
Kh.Battulga stressed that the fundamental constitutional principle that a member of Parliament is an envoy of the people and represents and upholds the interests of all citizens across the country and the state is being violated.
He added that people’s trust in lawmakers and the state has already vanished, which is why he decided to put forward a proposal to dissolve Parliament to Speaker M.Enkhbold.
“The Constitution of Mongolia declares that the state power is vested in the people of Mongolia. In this solid case where the highest organ of state power, the members of which are elected by the citizens, has clearly lost the trust and support of the citizens, it is no longer in a position to carry out its mandate,” the president said.
Section 22.2 of the Constitution states that no less than two-third of lawmakers or the president has the right to put forward a proposal to dissolve Parliament to the speaker of Parliament for a parliamentary review.
Section 12.11 of the Law on President states that “If the president believes that Parliament is unable to uphold its mandate, the president shall officially submit his or her proposal to dissolve Parliament to the speaker of Parliament. The president’s proposal must be reviewed by Parliament whether the speaker accepts it or not.”