Democratic Party, MPRP Consider Top Party Job

UNCLAS ULAANBAATAR 000148

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR MG
SUBJECT: Democratic Party, MPRP Consider Top Party Job
Choices


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On February 27, both the Democratic
Party (DP) and MPRP made decisions on key party jobs.
The MPRP chose Party Secretary Yo. Otgonbayar as the
new MPRP party chief for the capital. With one third
of the total party membership, the Ulaanbaatar post has
high visibility, and may serve as a stepping stone for
the ambitious Otgonbayar. A meeting of the DP's
National Consultative Council on February 27 declined
to immediately accept R. Gonchigdorj's resignation as
party head. While recently-ousted Prime Minister Ts.
Elbegdorj remains positioned to take over from
Gonchigdorj, the switch will wait until a special
session of the DP party congress is held at the end of
March. Installing Elbegdorj immediately had threatened
to further split the party. END SUMMARY.

MPRP Makes Long-Delayed Choice of UB Party Head
-------------- --


2. (SBU) The UB MPRP party head position has been
vacant since early October, when M. Enkhbold resigned
as both mayor and city party chief to take up the
parliamentary seat he had won in an August by-election.
The capital has one-third of the MPRP's members, making
the job as city party head highly-visible, and a
possible stepping stone to national leadership. In
September, the MPRP's party newspaper "Unen" chronicled
the argument of the incipient party wing that the new
mayor should not also serve as city party head. The
wing argued that MPRP internal democracy would be
served by an open contest for the party job -- and that
the wing head O. Enkhtuvshin, an MP and member of the
MPRP Steering Council, was the best man for the
position. Amid reports that Enkhbold was pushing for
new UB Mayor Ts. Batbayar, his protege, to also serve
as party head, the job remained vacant. Enkhtuvshin's
surprise decision at the end of January to accept a
position in Enkhbold's new Cabinet removed him
personally from the competition.


3. (SBU) As the 85th anniversary of the MPRP in
Ulaanbaatar approached, there recently has been renewed
attention to filling the vacant party job. After
lengthy discussions on February 25, the MPRP Steering
Council put forward two candidates: party Secretary
Yo. Otgonbayar and party wing candidate Kh. Balsandorj.
The Ulaanbaatar city MPRP hural met on Sunday evening
to make a decision, with two-thirds of the body opting
at 1 AM for Otgonbayar. (Comment: The ambitious
Otgonbayar likely will try to make full use of the
visible job to advance his position in the party. A
businessman, and former foreign policy advisor to then
PM Enkhbayar, Otgonbayar was educated in Russia and
India, and speaks fluent English.)

Democratic Party Delays Choice on Next Party Head
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4. (U) A meeting of the DP's National Consultative
Council on February 27 declined to immediately accept
party chairman R. Gonchigdorj's resignation.
Gonchigdorj explained that he wished to step down to
accept responsibility for the fall of the Grand
Coalition government with the MPRP. The DP
constitution allows two bodies to choose the party
head: the 1000-member party congress; or the 250-
member National Consultative Council, subject to
confirmation by the next party congress. While reports
had been that the National Consultative Council would
accept Gonchigdorj's resignation and immediately vote
on his replacement -- with recently-ousted Prime
Minister Ts. Elbegdorj as the likely choice -- the body
opted instead to convene a special party congress to
make the decision. The party congress will meet on
March 30-31.


5. (SBU) On February 24, the Ambassador hosted a lunch
for Gonchigdorj, Elbegdorj, and DP MP E. Bat-Uul.
During the lunch, Elbegdorj remained coy on a bid for
the top party job, saying that he still hoped to
convince Gonchigdorj to stay on, and opining (as he had
in press interviews last week) that the most important
thing is that the DP should be a strong, united force.
Nevertheless, he clearly seemed to expect to become
party head soon. When MP Bat-Uul (who is slated to be
the shadow government's "Prime Minister") stated his
view that the next DP head should be chosen at a party
congress after a competition, Elbegdorj acknowledged

the position that an endorsement by the party congress
would give the new chairman more solid, grassroots
support. However, he expressed concern that, if a
competitive race develops, this will lead to further
party division. Elbegdorj said that, if he becomes
party head, he will seek to boost the party's efforts
among women and youth, and would reach out to the three
separate movements urging party reform. Convening a
special party congress has been among the demands of
the reform movement leaders, who have opined that it
would be improper for the National Consultative Council
to install a new party head.


6. (SBU) Comment: Deferring the choice of
Gonchigdorj's replacement averted an immediate further
split in the Democratic Party. However, the party
likely will remain in flux for some time. While
Elbegdorj likely will be a popular choice to take over
party leadership, the next month may see maneuvering by
other party groups, including those close to M.
Enkhsaikhan, who broke with the party to join the MPRP-
led government. Last week, following his expulsion
from the DP, Enkhsaikhan said he would set up the
"Democracy and Justice Party," and issued an open
appeal to other Democrats to join him. Of the party's
original 28 MPs, four voted with Enkhsaikhan to bring
down Elbegdorj's government, and another 17 made an
unsuccessful last-minute bid to join in the new MPRP-
led government. That is a rather sobering situation
for the DP, as it prepares to form a shadow government
with the Civic Will Party. Elbegdorj seemed rested and
full of energy and plans on February 24; he may need
all of that energy as he readies the party for the 2008
elections.

SLUTZ