New Mongolian Cabinet Confirmed

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ULAANBAATAR 000061 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR EAID MG SUBJECT: New Mongolian Cabinet Confirmed REF: Ulaanbaatar 43 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. (SBU) On the evening of January 27-28, Mongolia's Parliament, the State Great Hural (SGH),approved 16 of the 17 nominees for Cabinet positions. At 4 AM on January 28, the SGH then recessed for the Mongolian New Year holiday (Tsagaan Sar). It is not known when a candidate will be resubmitted for the Emergency Ministry, the one post where the nominee failed to be confirmed; the vote on that candidate, the last to be considered, was tied 30-30. All of the nominations were submitted by newly appointed Prime Minister M. Enkhbold to the President on January 27, who forwarded them to the SGH later the same day. Only Agriculture Minister Terbishdagva was a member of the previous Cabinet, in the same post. Former Foreign Minister Munh-Orgil and former Defense Minister Sharavdorj reportedly ran for other Cabinet posts in an internal Mongolia People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) vote held on January 26, but lost. ¶2. (SBU) The Cabinet list reserved 10 of 18 spots (including the Prime Minister spot) to the MPRP, three to Democratic Party renegades (including the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) post to M. Enkhsaikhan),three to Motherland Party nominees, and one each to the Republican Party and People's Party. The failed Emergency Minister nominee was from the Motherland Party. According to an MPRP source, Prime Minister Enkhbold and his party decided on Thursday not to accept an offer by 17 other Democratic Party MPs to support the new government in implicit exchange for Cabinet posts. The source described the Cabinet posts requested by the second group of Democrats as too high (reportedly another six spots for these Democrats) and coming too late to redo the complicated multi-party division of seats before the New Year holiday. ¶3. (U) The Cabinet ministers approved were: (1) Mendsaikhan Enkhsaikhan, Deputy Prime Minister, Democratic Party (2) Nyamaa Enkhbold, Minister of Foreign Affairs, MPRP (3) Mishig Sonompil, Minister of Defense, Democratic Party (4) Bazarsad Jargalsaikhan, Minister of Industry and Trade, Republican Party (5) Nadmid Bayartsaikhan, Minister of Finance, MPRP (6) I. Erdenebaatar, Minister of Environment, the Motherland Party (7) Janlav Narantsatsralt, Minister of Construction and City Planning, Democratic Party (8) U. Enkhtuvshin, Minister of Education, Culture, Science, MPRP (9) Tsegmid Tsengel, Minister of Road, Transportation, Tourism, MPRP (10) Luvsan Odonchimed, Minister of Social Welfare and Labor, MPRP (11) Badarch Erdenebat, Minister of Fuel and Energy, Motherland Party (12) Lamjav Gundalai, Minister of Health, Popular Party (13) Dorj Odbayar, Minister of Justice and Home Affairs, MPRP (14) Dendev Terbishdagva, Minister of Food and Agriculture, MPRP (15) Sunduin Batbold, Minister, Head of the Government Secretariat, MPRP SIPDIS (16) Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, Minister in charge of State Inspection, MPRP ULAANBAATA 00000061 002 OF 002 ¶4. (U) Bio sketches on key ministers to follow septels. Goldbeck