Mongolia’s ruling party has won a majority in a parliamentary election that is held every four years.
Major issues in Friday’s election included economic policy and anti-corruption measures.
The number of parliamentary seats has been increased to 126 from 76 in the previous election four years ago.
Media reports say preliminary results released early Saturday morning show the governing Mongolia People’s Party won 68 seats.
The opposition Democratic Party won 42 seats, followed by the HUN Party at 8.
The Mongolia People’s Party has ruled the country since 2016. In 2020, it won 80 percent of the parliamentary seats, but only secured about half the number in this election.
The party is expected to retain its diplomatic policy that is designed to strike a balance between its two major neighbors, China and Russia, as well as maintain close ties with Japan, which the party calls Mongolia’s “third neighbor”. The party will also likely maintain a friendly relationship with North Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio is considering visiting Mongolia when he visits Kazakhstan in August.
If Kishida travels to the country, he and Mongolian officials will likely discuss bilateral cooperation and the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea.