Lawmakers L.Oyun-Erdene, T.Ayursaikhan, J.Batzandan and L.Bold protested Speaker of Parliament M.Enkhbold chairing the December 6 parliamentary session.

The lawmakers demanded M.Enkhbold’s resignation as speaker of Parliament, and stood holding signs reading, “M.Enkhbold has no right to chair a parliamentary session!” and “Speaker M.Enkhbold, resign!” for nearly two hours in front of the speaker’s podium in the session hall and at the main gate of the hall.

After M.Enkhbold asked the four lawmakers to stop protesting and meet with them to talk about their demand, a meeting between them took place.

During the meeting, J.Batzandan told Speaker M.Enkhbold, “Some lawmakers led by me and lawmaker L.Oyun-Erdene asked you to hold a public hearing about the nomination of B.Khurts as Mongolia’s ambassador to South Korea, and 26 lawmakers asked you to call an irregular parliamentary session to conduct a public hearing about the plot to raise a ton of money for campaign funding by selling government positions, which is called the 60 billion case, but you have ignored all proposals of lawmakers to this day, so we have to demand you to resign at your own request soon because we believe that you are unqualified to chair Parliament.”

J.Batzandan said to the speaker, “With support of the public, we will keep protesting against you until you resign at your request.”

L.Oyun-Erdene pointed out that the speaker also held a closed session when Parliament reviewed the nomination of B.Khurts, which violated the law and the people’s constitutional right to listen and watch.

In return, Speaker M.Enkhbold told them that he did not violate any laws when he chaired parliamentary sessions for this past two years.

He noted that as Parliament’s Legal Standing Committee made decisions that Parliament was unable to hold a public hearing about B.Khurts’s nomination and the “60 billion case”, he had no authority to hold public hearings on these matters.

The speaker said that Minister of Defense N.Enkhbold and lawmaker O.Baasankhuu put forward a proposal to hold a closed session on B.Khurts’ nomination to him as the two lawmakers believed that classified information might be discussed during the conversation and debates between former Head of the General Intelligence Agency B.Khurts and lawmakers, and as the majority of the lawmakers in attendance supported the two lawmakers’ proposal, that session took place in a closed manner.

L.Oyun-Erdene asked M.Enkhbold whether he was at the place where the audiotape of the “60 billion case” was recorded, but M.Enkhbold did not answer L.Oyun-Erdene’s question.

After the meeting between the speaker and the four lawmakers, Secretary of Parliament Ts.Tsolmon stated that he hopes Parliament will hold its regular sessions despite some lawmakers’ protest.

Political policy advisor to the speaker B.Gunbileg noted that the actions of the four lawmakers are in violations of the Constitution and other laws, so they should be reprimanded under the law.

B.Gunbileg explained the reasons outlined in the Act of Parliament that allows the dismissal of the speaker to the press.

He stated that death, medical reasons, formal request to step down from office, a ruling of the Constitutional Court to dismiss the speaker, and a verdict confirming the speaker’s involvement in a crime are legitimate reasons for a speaker to leave office. B.Gunbileg said that as these reasons don’t apply to Speaker M.Enkhbold, he should not resign.

The four lawmakers said that as half of lawmakers are standing for M.Enkhbold’s resignation and the public wants him to resign, M.Enkhbold should resign at his own volition.

As half of lawmakers, including most Cabinet ministers, boycotted the December 6 session in support of the four lawmakers’ proposal, much to the dismay of lawmakers in attendance, legislator J.Munkhbat said that today’s Parliament and government are incapable of continuing state operations, and asked lawmakers to disband both Parliament and government.

Minister of Justice Ts.Nyamdorj stressed that the state will spend too much money organizing another parliamentary election if lawmakers vote for the dissolution of Parliament, which is why he is against J.Munkhbat’s proposal. Ts.Nyamdorj asked Speaker M.Enkhbold to resign in order to continue state operations.

The speaker announced that he will not resign for reasons not stipulated by law.