Thousands rally in Mongolia to call for govt to step down

ULAANBAATAR (Reuters): Thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets of Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, on Thursday to demand the leadership step down over allegations of corruption and failure to revive a struggling economy. The resource-rich, landlocked country once boasted a booming economy that attracted billions of dollars in investment.

But disputes with foreign investors like Rio Tinto, government overspending and slipping commodity prices tipped Mongolia into an economic crisis in 2016 from which it has yet to fully recover.

“Resign! Resign! Resign!” protesters chanted. Some carried banners with slogans castigating the government for its perceived failure to tackle corruption, pollution, a stagnant economy and a public health crisis.

“They are not fulfilling the promises they made,” a main protest organizer and general secretary of the opposition Democratic Party, Tsevegdorj Tuvaan, told Reuters. “Parliament has been unable to make the government work and be responsible. So we are today demanding that they take responsibility.” Mongolia had promised to spend heavily on infrastructure, social services and housing by attracting billions of dollars of foreign investment, but that has not materialized.