Chairman of the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) U.Khurelsukh nominated his former Cabinet Secretariat G.Zandanshatar for speaker of Parliament, and the MPP board and caucus both unanimously accepted U.Khurelsukh’s proposal, which is why Parliament’s State Structure Standing Committee held a meeting on February 1 to review the nomination of G.Zandanshatar.
As the standing committee agreed to nominate G.Zandanshatar, Parliament reviewed G.Zandanshatar’s nomination on February 1. As some 60 out of 63 lawmakers in attendance (95.2 percent) voted for the nomination of G.Zandanshatar, he became the 11th speaker of Parliament since the Constitution was adopted in 1992.
The newly appointed speaker received the speaker's seal and took office on February 1.
After being appointed, G.Zandanshatar addressed Parliament.
In his address, G.Zandanshatar highlighted that he will focus on several important issues as speaker.
“First, I will play a leadership role in strengthening good governance, justice, and unification as we see and hear that what the people are demanding for is justice.”
G.Zandanshatar stated that as the people are looking to the Mongolian state to resolve controversial issues, strengthen discipline and ensures accountability and transparency in the state apparatus, Parliament should fulfill the people’s demand in their remaining term in office.
He underlined that Parliament has to be an exemplary institution of the state that ensures justice, transparency and accountability.
The new speaker stressed that the legislature should stand against every illegal action by fighting against abuse of state powers, and those who put their own interests before the state’s and misappropriate public assets.
He announced that Parliament will collaborate closely with the government by setting up task forces to deal with the many challenges facing society.
G.Zandanshatar emphasized that Parliament always put the nation’s key interests toward Mongolia’s development that promotes all people’s interests first, and Parliament cannot afford to protect few select people’s interests.
“Today we need to stop disputes, pursue political stability, and ensure unification to meet the demands of the public and society, and so, first of all, Parliament should do that,” he said.
The new speaker of Parliament announced that he will make efforts to build the credibility of the Mongolian state.
G.Zandanshatar highlighted that a great achievement of Mongolia’s democratic transitions was the Constitution, which was adopted in 1992, but many politicians, legal scholars, specialists, and the public say that the Constitution fails to sufficiently address today's challenges over distribution and balance of power within the political system, which is why the ongoing constitutional amendments should focus on strengthening the legislative and executive branches of state, enhance accountability and justice, and improve the implementations of laws.
He added the constitutional amendments should make progress in improving fiscal discipline, protecting human rights, freedom, and enhancing parliamentary review over justice and accountability.
G.Zandanshatar also added that he will promote lawmakers’ initiatives and efforts in support of strengthening the parliamentary system and democracy.
He concluded his speech by saying, “We must all work together to develop the country by taking advantage of the opportunity we have and dealing with the challenges facing us to fulfill parliamentary powers and responsibilities outlined in the Constitution, the Act of Parliament and Parliamentary Session Procedure.”
About G.Zandashatar
G.Zandanshatar was born in Baatsagaan soum of Bayankhongor Province on March 6, 1970, and finished Secondary School No.77 in Ulaanbaatar in 1987. He graduated from a university in Russia as an economist in 1992.
Following graduation, he began working for the Mongolian Trade and Industrial Institute as a lecturer from 1992 to 1995, at Agricultural Bank (the present-day Khan Bank) as an economist, manager and department head from 1995 to 1998, at Mongol Bank as a manager from 1998 to 2000.
He served as vice director of Khan Bank from 2000 to 2003, deputy minister of food and agriculture from 2003 to 2004, and minister of foreign affairs from 2009 to 2012.
Bayankhongor’s voters elected G.Zandanshatar as a lawmaker in 2004, 2008 and 2016, and he was appointed as Cabinet secretariat in 2017.
