In 2008, after the elections for the Great Hural, there were days of violent protests in Mongolia. The ruling party, the MPRP, won the majority and observers of the election said it was fair and free, but nonetheless citizens came out in droves to protest, claiming that the election was rigged. When the police pushed back, the protests become violent. Protesters looted stores, burned cars, and even set fire the MPRP headquarters. A state of emergency was declared, and it took about a week for the protests to die down. According to
BBC News, at least 5 people were killed and "scores of injuries were reported."
Interestingly enough, the next year was the year that power was transfered from the MPRP to the Democratic Party. It makes me wonder if perhaps the elections had been rigged the year before, or if enough people become angry that the MPRP was still in power and more people came out to vote.
Very interesting for a remote place like Mongolia. It sounds like a scene from a movie with the looting and burning cars, very surreal. It's good to hear about what's going on though since Mongolia isn't likely to be in the news.
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