How the ruling Mongolian People's Party’s Civil War Unfolded

The fast-escalating civil war within the ruling Mongolian People’s Party has morphed from an internal feud into a full-blown state crisis pitting the prime minister against the speaker, and drawing in the president and, ultimately, the Supreme Court as arbiters of power.

Here’s a brief chronology of how it unfolded:

May–June 2025: The ruling Mongolian People’s Party began to fracture when General Secretary Sodbaatar publicly called for Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene’s removal. Parliament dismissed Oyun-Erdene on June 3. Within days, Gombojavyn Zandanshatar was nominated and confirmed as prime minister (June 13), with expectations he would also assume the party leadership in line with the custom.

MPP Headquarters building in Ulaanbaatar (zarig.mn)

September 2025: Those expectations collapsed when Parliament Speaker Dashzegviin Amarbayasgalan announced his own bid for chairman (Sept 12). His campaign triggered immediate backlash—smear operations, corruption allegations tied to the Tavan Tolgoi coal mine. The conflict deepened when MP Battumuryn Enkhbayar detailed graft accusations on September 24. Amarbayasgalan struck back the next day, accusing PM Zandanshatar, party GenSec Sodbaatar, Foreign Minister Battsetseg, Agriculture Minister Jadambyn Enkhbayar, and others of orchestrating a political witch hunt.

Late September: As tensions peaked, Zandanshatar defended his 100-day record and denounced “politics of lies” (Sept 26). At the party conference (Sept 27-28), Amarbayasgalan claimed the chairmanship amid irregularities and disputed delegate counts. The opposition Democratic Party then declared parliament paralyzed until the courts ruled on the leadership’s legitimacy (Sept 29), a stance Amarbayasgalan dismissed the following day.

October 2025: Zandanshatar escalated the standoff by accusing Amarbayasgalan of links to the coal theft network and naming MP Battumuryn Enkhbayar—his rival’s chief accuser—as justice minister (Oct 1). Within hours, the MPP expelled Enkhbayar, prompting pro-Zandanshatar MPs to condemn the move as a betrayal of anti-corruption promises (Oct 2).

Meanwhile, lawyers identified procedural violations that could render Amarbayasgalan’s election invalid. The Supreme Court now holds the final say on who truly leads the ruling party.

The next phase depends heavily on President Khurelsukh, who has so far stayed quiet and cautious, reading public sentiment before aligning with either Amarbayasgalan or Zandanshatar.

Amarbayasgalan retains greater charisma but carries the baggage of recent scandals, while Zandanshatar lacks authority and appears beholden to rival factions. Both suffer crises of legitimacy, leaving only a faint prospect of a third contender breaking through.

As his presidential term ends, Khurelsukh’s priority is a secure political exit, likely through assurances from whoever ultimately controls the party and power.