IAAC reviews presidential election candidates’ anti-corruption policy

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. Candidates from the three parliamentary parties made their election promises and participated in the Presidential Election of Mongolia. Election promises outline the following activities to be initiated and implemented in the fight against corruption. The Mongolian People’s Party aims to inculcate the idea of justice as a social value, strengthen accountability for corruption and official’s misconduct, and create a legal environment that prohibits public officials at all levels from holding assets in offshore accounts. The Democratic Party promised to prosecute senior officials who violated the Glass Account Law, Law on Information Transparency and Right to Information, make senior public officials report their assets and sources of income to the public, and disclose political parties’ funding, and election expenses. Also, the Democratic Party’s election promise includes making policies to eliminate corruption in tenders and procurement, protecting whistleblowers against corruption, diversifying anti-corruption approaches, and drastically increase the participation of citizens, civil society in the public. Right Person Electoral Coalition promises to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive policy covering all aspects of education, society and, economy to eradicate corruption and ensuring the independence of the Anti-Corruption Agency. The Eighth Presidential Election of Mongolia was held on June 9, 2021, and the Mongolian People’s Party candidate Khurelsukh won the election. With the latest amendments to the Constitution of Mongolia made in December 2019, the new president will be appointed for a single six-year term. In addition to improving the legal environment to strengthen accountability for corruption and official misconduct, as outlined in the election promise of Khurelsukh, the MPP candidate, amendments to the relevant law are expected, in order to ban the placement of assets in offshore zones by any level of public officials. According to the Constitution of Mongolia and the Law on the President, the President has the right to initiate laws, veto laws, submit policy proposals concerning vital issues of domestic and foreign policies of the country to the Parliament and the Government, which the anti-corruption election promises may be delivered after the approval of the Parliament and the Government. “We believe that the Parliament will fully support the newly elected President, as the MPP has won the parliamentary election last year, and appointed the Prime Minister,” states the Independent Authority Against Corruption. Source: Independent Authority Against Corruption