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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUM #0148/01 0600505
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 010505Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY ULAANBAATAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9528
INFO RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 4773
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 2045
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1955
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

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 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶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