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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ULAANBAATAR 000064 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/CM 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KWMN PGOV SOCI MG
SUBJECT: MONGOLIAN WOMEN SEETHING OVER QUOTA ELIMINATION 
 
Reftels: (A) ULAANBAATAR 0003 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBTION. 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Women's activists have filed a complaint with 
Mongolia's Constitutional Court following Parliament's scrapping of 
a requirement that at least 30 percent of any party's candidates for 
national elections be women.  The complaint, filed on January 31, 
argues that in eliminating the quota, Parliament violated the Law on 
Parliamentary Procedures.  The court now has two weeks to decide 
whether to take up the complaint.  Women's activists across the 
political spectrum are livid over what they see as an attempt by 
male Parliamentarians to restrict competition for political office, 
ahead of June's Parliamentary elections.  After Parliament passed a 
law eliminating the quota, the law was vetoed by the President on 
January 8.  It took two votes - on January 10 and 11 - for 
Parliament to override the veto.  Prime Minister Bayar has suggested 
he feels that the problem with the quota was that the 30 percent it 
targeted for female candidates was unrealistic.  President Enkhbayar 
has been asked by women's groups "to challenge the decision of the 
Parliament" at the Constitutional Court, but the President has no 
special authority to do so.  We see little likelihood that the anger 
felt by Mongolian women will translate into concrete political 
action.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Mongolian women's activists have filed a complaint with the 
Constitutional Court following Parliament's scrapping of a 
requirement that at least 30 percent of any party's candidates for 
national elections be women.  On January 31, activist J. Zanaa filed 
the complaint on behalf of MonFemNet, the National Network of 
Mongolian Women's NGOs, arguing that Parliament violated the Law on 
Parliamentary Procedures in eliminating the requirement.  The court 
now has two weeks to inform Zanaa about whether it will discuss the 
complaint.  Women across the political spectrum are livid over what 
they view as an attempt by male Parliamentarians to restrict 
competition for political office, ahead of June's Parliamentary 
elections. 
 
HOPES RAISED, THEN DASHED 
------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) After years of patient advocacy by women's activists, 
Parliament adopted the quota in 2005, energizing the women's rights 
movement and leading to hope that it would lead to greater female 
participation in the political process.  (Women currently hold five 
of the 76 seats in Parliament; three of the 16 Cabinet positions; 
and seven of the 17 seats on the Supreme Court.)  However, on 
December 26, 2007, Parliament passed an amendment eliminating the 
requirement.  On January 8, President N. Enkhbayar vetoed the law, 
calling it a setback for Mongolian democracy.  On January 9, the 
veto was reviewed by two Parliamentary Standing Committees, on State 
Structure and Legal Affairs, and majorities on both committees voted 
in favor of an override.  At a plenary session on January 10, 62.3 
percent of the MPs present voted to override the veto, short of the 
required 66.6 percent.  Female legislators and observers broke out 
in applause, but their delight would be short-lived.  The head of 
the Parliamenary caucus of the ruling Mongolian People's 
Revolutionary Party (MPRP), Ts. Nyamdorj, noted that two of the MPs 
who had "voted" in support of the veto were not present; fellow 
legislators had apparently voted on their behalf, using the small 
card-like devices with which MPs electronically cast votes.  On 
January 11, the Standing Committee on State Structure voted to 
invalidate the previous day's vote.  Shortly thereafter, a second 
plenary vote was held on whether to uphold the President' veto. 
This time, 88.9 percent voted to override the veto; only six MPs 
(including four of the five female MPs) supported the veto, whereas 
20 had backed it a day earlier.  (Leaders of the two biggest parties 
- the MPRP and the opposition Democratic Party, or DP -- reportedly 
spent the evening of January 10 pressuring those who had supported 
the veto to change their mind.  The MPRP and DP party leaders are 
rumored to have warned members of those parties that anyone 
supporting the President's veto would not be considered for 
candidacy in June's elections.) 
 
ACTIVISTS VOW TO PRESS ON 
------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Women's activists have been stung by the developments but 
vow to press on.  On January 14, a 13-group alliance of women's 
 
ULAANBAATA 00000064  002 OF 002 
 
 
organizations, including MomFemNet, the "Hearth" National Movement 
and the women's associations of the Motherland, Civil Will and 
Republican parties, jointly called on President Enkhbayar "to 
challenge the decision of the Parliament" at the Constitutional 
Court.  (Note: The President has not made any public response to 
this appeal.  The Constitution does not give him authority to 
question, challenge or overturn decisions by the Constitutional 
Court.  End Note.) Meanwhile, Bolormaa, head of the NGO Women 
Leaders Foundation, told us that although the quota has been 
scrapped, there has emerged a new generation of women eager to seek 
political office, with knowledge about how to run a campaign and how 
to raise funds.  (Note: Key support in this regard has come from 
USG-funded IRI, which has provided training through the Women's 
Partnership in Politics and Governance.  End Note.) 
 
PM BAYAR: 30 PERCENT UNREALISTIC 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) While women activists have lavished praise on the President 
for vetoing the quota-killing law, many have criticized the actions 
of Prime Minister S. Bayar, who serves concurrently as MPRP chief. 
In an interview published on January 17, Bayar indicated that he 
felt that the problem with the quota was that the 30 percent it 
targeted for female candidates was unrealistic.  "Are there enough 
women in any political party in Mongolia to be listed as 
candidates?" he asked.  "I think 10 to 15 percent is more 
realistic."  Bayar pointed out that in recent elections, many women 
voters have failed to support women candidates.  "Maybe the female 
voter is thinking, 'She thinks she's better than me?' and votes 
instead for a male candidate." 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Efforts by the MPRP and DP to scrap the women's candidate 
quota could prompt some politically active women to run as 
independents, but independents face additional obstacles to being 
elected.  They cannot, for instance, run on a platform, because 
according to Mongolian law, only parties can have a platform. 
Independents also face formidable fundraising and organizational 
challenges.  Although many women active in Mongolian politics are 
outraged by the quota's demise, we see little chance that this anger 
will translate into concrete political action.  Female political 
activists may have joined forces to support the quota, but if 
previous national elections are any indication, their ultimate 
loyalties lie with their political parties, rather than others of 
their gender. 
MINTON