OVER 300 THOUSAND CITIZENS SUBMIT OPINIONS ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

Ulaanbaatar/MONTSAME/ Today, December 18, a scientific conference titled ‘Theory-practical issues to amend the Constitution of Mongolia’ is taking place at State House. At the scientific conference, participants were heard a report of the Working Group on a Bill to amend the Constitution of Mongolia and the results of public opinion poll. Also the participants discussed about the Constitution adopted in 1992, consequences of its implementation, theory-methodological issues to amend the Constitution, some issues of the amendment, the distribution of state power in the Constitution and the control-balance of powers, administrative units and their authority as well as improvement of state service system. During the conference, G. Zandanshatar, Head of the Cabinet Secretariat and member of the Working Group in the Parliament, reported about public opinion on the amendments. According to the report, over 327 thousand people in total attended the public discussions and a number of proposals reached 5.6 million in repeated counting. According to their age groups, 32.2 percent were aged 18-35, 19.8 percent-- aged 36-45, 16.1 percent -- aged 46-55. Citizens back to establish an electoral system by law, to ban a formation of new kind of expenditures in the Bill on State Budget of that particular year and an increase of expenditure, make the law provision about President’s right to issue a resolution to dismiss Parliament clear, take out President’s right to initiate law, allow just one third of Cabinet members to be a Member of Parliament as well as others. They consider that civil service must be professional, stable and based on a step-by-step career promotion principle. Moreover, independence and legal basis of civil service activity have to be formed by law, along with banning discriminations and dismissal of public servants by political reasons, election results and/or other grounds except stated in laws. Mongolia adopted its first Constitution in 1924, becoming a pioneer in Asia. It adopted it second time in 1940 and amended it in 1960. It adopted the new Constitution in 1992. M. Unurzul