Page 22 - bne_newspaper_July-07_2017

Eurasia
July 7, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 22
Mongolia’s likely next president indicates shift towards Russia
Kanat Shaku in Almaty
With the second round of the Mongolian elec- tions taking place on July 7, showy martial arts star Battulga Khaltmaa increasingly looks like the strongest contender for the presidency.
While the first round ended with no clear winner as none of the three candidates collected over 50% of the vote, Battulga’s nationalist, populist approach, particularly when it comes to mining- dependent Mongolia’s natural resources, and his suspicious attitude towards neighbouring Chi- na, secured him the largest share of the vote.
What has especially set self-made millionaire and judo star Battulga apart from first round runner- up Enkhbold Miyegombo were his attempts to associate himself with Russia and its President Vladimir Putin. This indicates that should Battulga fulfil expectations and win on July 7, Ulanbataar could be poised to make a pivot towards Russia and away from China.
Mongolia currently relies overwhelmingly on China’s demand for commodities — almost 90% of the country’s exports go to China — but there is growing popular resentment against China within the country.
Forcefully hinting at a relationship with Mongolia’s other powerful neighbour, Battulga’s campaign materials were ripe with images of himself and Putin together, even though no known history ex- ists between the two. Even Miyegombo’s Mongo- lian People’s Party (MPP) has published photos of the Russian leader shaking hands with Battulga at a Kremlin event.
Supporters follow Democratic Party leader and martial arts star Battulga.
Some independent experts, including a photog- rapher from Russian news agency RIA Novosti, have pointed out that the images might be faked. However, if his ties to Russia are indeed strong and true, Battulga’s election might result in the reinstating of Russia’s role in Mongolia’s affairs after 25 years of absence following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent peaceful democratic revolution in Mongolia.
A strengthening of Russia’s role in Mongolia is unlikely to be an economic one like in the USSR days, when Mongolia’s GDP was nearly 40% reli- ant on the Soviet Union. Russia’s interests in Mongolia are mostly political, and might attempt to counterbalance China without impinging upon its economic role.
There are already signs of a closer relationship between Russia and Mongolia ahead of the elec- tion. For the first time, the two countries will hold joint military drills in the Gobi desert between Au- gust 26 and September 9. The drills will be aimed at training Russian and Mongolian forces in com- batting terrorism, although neither Mongolia nor the neighbouring regions of Russia are currently facing threats from terrorists.
Mudslinging campaign tactics
Aside from the Russian angle pursued by Demo- cratic Party candidate Battulga, the campaign has been largely negative, with little political debate,
a situation that has upset many Mongolians who perceived a lack of options in the election.
Earning himself a popular nickname of “Genco”