Mendsaikhany Enkhsaikhan

Mendsaikhaniyn Enkhsaikhan (mongol. Мэндсайханы Энхсайхан; born 1955) was the prime minister of Mongolia from July 7 1996 to April 23 1998, the first in 80 years not to belong to the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.

Life

Early years

Enkhsaikhan was born 1955 in Ulaanbaatar and speaks Russian and English fluently.

He earned PhD in economic sciences from the State University in Kiev, former USSR in 1970s.

From 1978 to 1988 he worked as an economist, researcher and deputy head of a department at the Foreign Ministry of Mongolia.

From 1988 to 1990 he worked as a specialist at the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade and in the meantime, he was a director of a market research institute.

From 1990 to 1992 he held a seat in the State Small Khural (parliament) for the first time, representing the Mongolian Democratic Party and chaired a standing committee in the parliament.

From 1992 to 1993 he held a seat in the State Great Khural (parliament) representing the Mongolian Democratic Party. He was appointed as a president of the Academy for Political Education in 1992.

After that he served as the chairman of the common elections commission of Mongolian National Democratic Party and Mongolian Social Democratic Party for the presidential elections of June 6 1993. From 1993 to 1996 he worked as the chairman of the Presidential office for Punsalmaagin Ochirbat, first official president of Mongolia.

Prime Minister

Enkhsaikhan became Prime Minister of Mongolia on July 7 1996 after Democratic Union Coalition of Mongolian National Democratic Party and Mongolian Social Democratic Party won at the parliamentary elections. Enkhsaikhan was the elections campaign manager of Democratic Union Coalition while Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj was the coalition chairman.

This made Enkhsaikhan the first prime minister since the 1920's who wasn't a member of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP). The parliamentary majority of Democratic Party (DP) and Mongolian Social Democratic Party forced him to resign in 1998, because of the slowed reforms. He was then replaced by Tsakhiagiyn Elbegdorj (DP).

Further career

From 1998 to 2003, Enkhsaikhan was the director of the company Premier International Co.. In January 2003, the Mongolian National Democratic Party elected him party chairman, but he was removed from this position in 2005. Enkhsaikhan is considered to make decisions on his own on behalf of Mongolian Democratic Party rather than discussing and get support from the party members as well as National Counsel Committee of the party. Therefore, National Counsel Committee's over one hundred members voted to remove Enkhsaikhan from his position as Democratic Party Chairman.

In 2005 Enkhsaikhan ran for the presidential elections from Mongolian Democratic Party , but received less than 20% of the votes and lost against Nambaryn Enkhbayar (MPRP).

When Enkhsaikhan worked as a chairman of Mongolian Democratic Party, without consulting his party on his own, he decided to unite his party with Motherland Party for a coalition. It is said that many members of Democratic Party opposed it because Motherland Party was a "one-person's company party" whose chairman Badarchiyn Erdenebat is a chairman of private Erel company that digs gold in Mongolia. In addition, Motherland Party had only one member of Parliament that is Badarchiyn Erdenebat in its history until 2004.

Enkhsaikhan halted many famous Democratic Party members from candidacy of the parliamentary elections to give half of the opportunities to Motherland Party. As a result, many well known and well supported Democratic Party members including former Prime Minister Rinchinnyamyn Amarjargal, were forced to become independent candidates to the parliamentary elections in 2004. Three of the Democratic Party members were elected to the parliament as individuals because Enkhsaikhan didn't give them the chance to become Democratic Party candidates for the elections. It is alleged that because of Enskhaikhan's disperse of the party energy as splitting the available elections candidacy with smaller unknown party as equal, the Motherland Democracy Coalition won much less seats at the parliament than possible. He became a member of parliament in 2004 from Democratic Party. The coalition and its foe former communist MPRP won even split votes.

The coalition government was established with agreements of all parties involved. Motherland Party was given two seats at the Government Cabinet of the grand coalition government for its 7 elected MPs vs. Democratic Party's 25 elected MPs and Civil Will Party's MPs. However, Badarchiyn Erdenebat, Enkhsaikhan's elevated ally wanted Prime Ministership and one more seat at the Government Cabinet. When it was not agreed by all participating parties of the Motherland Democracy Coalition, Badarchiyn Erdenebat announced the dissolution of the coalition at the parliament without consent of the coalition parties. According to Mongolian law, if someone announces anything at the parliament, it becomes valid without need of vote for this case. Mendsaikhan Enkhsaikhan joined Badarchiyn Erdenebat to dissolve Motherland Democracy Coalition to join MPRP to establish new coalition with MPRP for bigger position at the government.

In January 2006 he voted with former communist MPRP members against his own party's coalition government. He did so in spite of a decision of the Democratic Party's Directing Board, not to vote against its own coalition government. The Party's Main Legal Committee therefore cancelled Enkhsaikhan's membership of the party in February.

In the new government under Miyeegombo Enkhbold of former communist MPRP, he was awarded the role of Deputy Prime Minister for his betrayal from his view and party for personal gain.