MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: 2,779 CITIZENS ABROAD GIVE VOTES

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia /MONTSAME/ Mongolians living and working abroad have voted for the first time in the parliamentary election of 2012. Only eligible voting citizens of Mongolia in foreign countries, where diplomatic missions of the country are located, have participated in the election. A press conference on the news was reported on Tuesday at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with participation of B.Batkhishig, the State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry and head of the Organizing Commission for Running Voting in Foreign Countries; B.Bilegt, a member of the General Election Commission (GEC) and the deputy head of the Organizing Commission; B.Bayarsaikhan, the secretary of the Organizing Committee and director of the Public Administration and Management Department of the Foreign Ministry; and D.Bayanduuren, an office head of the GEC. Opening the press conference, the State Secretary B.Batkhishig reported that the eligible citizens abroad gave their votes through 39 election sub commissions with 188 employees under an ordinance on regulation for the people abroad in which a diplomatic mission of Mongolia is located and voting procedures. According to results, 65 per cent of total people abroad or 2,779 citizens gave their votes. They voted only for the running political parties or coalitions not for the candidates. Due to the time zone differences, the citizens in Canberra, Australia started the voting procedure at 05.00 am of Ulaabaatar's time, whereas the citizens in San Francisco, the USA finished this procedure of election at 11.00 am of UB time (GMT +8.00) on June 11. There were no any infractions or conflicts. The voting papers of voters have been sealed, and a measure is being taken to transfer these voting papers to the GEC. The voting papers have been sent already from the sub-commissions in Seoul, Tokyo, Osaka, Ulan-Ude, Irkutsk, Kyzyl, Hohhot and Erlian. The votes given by citizens abroad will be counted on the voting day of the election on June 28. B.Khuder