Mongolia elects Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj as its new president

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 – 10:17 CEST

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elbegdorj-1.jpg

Earlier this week, voters from all over Mongolia turned out to elected their new president. The winner was the US-educated Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, who is poised to become the country’s first president who has never been a member of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party — the Communist party that has ruled the country for 75 years.

Previously, Elbegdorj served in the Mongolian government, having held the position of prime minister twice.

During his tenure as prime minister, Elbegdorj said in 2005 that he supported more English-language education and wanted to shift the country’s main foreign language from Russian to English.

Further, he also supposed the United States during the run-up to the Iraq war, and was rewarded by a four-hour visit to Mongolia by then-President George W. Bush in 2005.

No word yet on what Elbegdorj’s policy is towards the One Laptop Per Child project.

Posted in Elections, Mongolia, Ulan Bator

Russia, Mongolia celebrate 1939 defeat of Japan

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Thursday, August 27th, 2009 – 15:20 CEST

Before leaving Mongolia yesterday, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (pictured) and Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj memorialized fallen soldiers who defeated the Japanese imperial forces at Khalkhyn Gol in 1939. This was the final battle between Soviet and Mongolian forces and Japan…

Ulan Bator forges ahead with Russian investment

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 – 10:37 CEST

Today, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with new Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj to discuss his country’s uranium fields and the possibility of upgrading the country’s rail networks.

Russia, which has had longstanding ties to Mongolia, had been concerned the the election…

Austrian, Mongolian partner to unearth buried Buddhist artifacts

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Friday, August 7th, 2009 – 08:37 CEST

Last weekend, Austrian online media producer and amateur archeologist Michael Eisenriegler (above) and his Mongolian colleague, Zundoi Altangerel, uncovered two crates worth of irreplaceable artifacts, including manuscripts, Buddhist statues and clothing.

It was shown live and online last weekend at the Hauptplatz in…

Tsonjin Boldog boasts huge Genghis Khan statue

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Monday, August 3rd, 2009 – 19:11 CEST

The New York Times has a new feature on the new statue of Mongolia’s most well-known historical figure, Genghis Khan. The 13th century emperor and conqueror of much of Asia and the Middle East has become a contemporary icon — Mongolians have…

Mongolian Neo-Nazis rise against China

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 – 10:44 CEST

Time magazine reports on the disturbing rise of nationalistic neo-Nazi groups in Mongolia, many of whom are vehemently anti-Chinese.

Mongolia, which just played host to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, may need to do something about this problem as it wants…

President Elbegdorj could open Mongolia’s mines

Posted by Cyrus Farivar, Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009 – 23:27 CEST

New Mongolian president Tsakhia Elbegdorj was elected last month largely to help improve Mongolia’s economic problems.

One way that he might go about doing that, a recent UPI report suggests, is by opening up the countries vast mining reserves.

Mongolia has many…

Ulan Bator Through the Eyes of Its Bloggers

Posted by David Sasaki, Monday, April 20th, 2009 – 15:34 CEST

With just over one million residents Ulan Bator is the largest city of the most sparsely populated country in the world, Mongolia. The city was founded in 1639 as a Buddhist monastic center, but turned into an important trading and manufacturing hub…