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Mongolia|politics|October 30, 2018 / 03:19 PM
Mongolian president may go on hunger strike to protest parliament

AKIPRESS.COM - Mongolia’s president said he may go on a hunger strike or stage a sit-in as a last resort to pressure Mongolian parliament to voluntarily disband after he criticized it for failing to stand up to economic challenges, Bloomberg reports.

President Khaltmaa Battulga earlier submitted a proposal to open discussions to dissolve the parliament, citing inaction by the government after it sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year.

Asked in an interview with Mongolia’s C1 Television what he’d do after asking the parliament to disband, Battulga said: “Hunger strike?” “This is the the stage we’re at,” said the president, who also suggested a sit-in. “I’ve tried different means by sending proposals, and we’ve discussed the matter.”

Battulga’s actions were largely seen as a political stunt ahead of planned parliamentary elections in 2020, in which his opposition Democratic Party will look to pick up more seats.

Mongolia’s statistics office estimated that the economy grew 6.3 percent in the first half of 2018. Battulga rose to fame as a self-made millionaire who engaged in competitive martial arts. He is known as a political firebrand, openly criticizing the influence of establishment leaders he calls oligarchs as well as Mongolia’s top trade partner, China.

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