Building Democracy In Mongolia

The United States would like to again congratulate Mongolia on its recent presidential election in the wake of the release of the Organization for Security and Cooperation's final presidential election report. The report makes clear the election was peaceful, voter participation was high, and the election was generally conducted in a free and fair manner.

Building Democracy In Mongolia

It is particularly noteworthy that on election day, members of the Observation mission gave a positive assessment to 99 percent of the polling stations observed – a true testament to the dedication of Mongolia's public servants to ensure the integrity of Mongolia's electoral system. These elections demonstrate Mongolia's continued commitment to the further development of the principles of democracy and free and fair elections.

The report also highlighted several areas for Mongolia to improve on in order to fully meet its OSCE commitments. Notable recommendations cover areas such as media and freedom of expression; election administration; and maintaining the secrecy of the ballot.

The United States encourages Mongolia to implement all the reports' recommendations and urges the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights to assist Mongolia in this effort where appropriate.

In recent years, Mongolia has demonstrated its commitment to broad-based development through its successful completion of a $285 million Millennium Challenge compact with the United States. Moreover, the United States and Mongolia recently signed an Agreement on Transparency in Matters Related to International Trade and Investment paving the way for increased trade between the two countries.

After more than two decades of impressive democratic and market economic transformation," said U.S. Envoy to the OSCE Daniel Baer, "Mongolia continues to serve as a positive example for emerging democracies around the world. However, not content to rest on its laurels, Mongolia continues to work hard to strengthen its democracy. This (election) report will serve as an important tool for Mongolia to achieve this goal."