Mongolian Green Party

The Mongolian Green Party is a green party in Mongolia. It was founded in March 1990 and registered as a political party on 26 May 1990, becoming the first green party of Mongolia and Asia.

WWW mongoliangreenparty.mn

Ideology

The party had around 601 members as of 2017 and states its goal is working towards improving human rights and democracy in Mongolia and protecting the environment.

History

Founding and early history

Prior to the 1990 democratic revolution, members of the Mongolian Nature Conservation Federation formed the "Green Way" club in 1988 and the "Mongolian Greens' Movement" in 1989. Both organizations fought for democratic reform and contributed to the foundation of the Democratic Union.
On 9 March 1990, the two organizations founded the Mongolian Green Party, the year Mongolia became a multi-party democracy. It was registered by the Supreme Court, becoming the first green party to be founded in Asia. Its first chairman was Davaagiin Basandorj and the party had 3000 members and 12000 supporters in 1990.

1990-2008

Mongolia's first free and fair elections were held in 1990. The MGP received 1.23% of the total party vote, but won no seats in the People's Great Khural or the State Little Khural. After the ratification of the 1992 constitution and the establishment of an unicameral parliament, elections were held in June 1992. The MGP ran together with the Mongolian Democratic Party and the Mongolian National Progress Party and won 4 out of 76 seats.
In the 1996 parliamentary election, the party was part of the opposition Democratic Union Coalition, which comprised the Mongolian Social Democratic Party, the Mongolian National Democratic Party, and the Mongolian Democratic Renaissance Party. The coalition won 50 out of 76 seats and formed a coalition government lasting from 1996 until the 2000 elections. By June 2000, there were a total of four Democratic prime ministers since 1996. These four years were politically unstable as there were frequent government crises and resignations.
Amidst the political chaos, leading figure of the 1990 revolution and MP Sanjaasürengiin Zorig was assassinated at his home in October 1998. This led to a group of politicians in the coalition including Zorig's sister Sanjaasürengiin Oyuun to split off and found the Civil Will Party.
The MGP ran together with the CWP for the 2000 parliamentary election, and together won 1 out of 76 seats in the State Great Khural. The Civil Will Party would later merge with Republican Party for the 2004 elections, founding the Civil Will–Republican Party. Before the elections, the party split in April 2004, and was dissolved in 2006. The MGP won no seats in the 2004 parliamentary election.
The Civic Coalition was founded between the party and various non-governmental organizations for 2008 election. The refounded Mongolian Social Democratic Party and the newly established Civil Movement Party ran together with the MGP, whilst the CWP refused. The MGP won a single seat in the State Great Khural, where party chairman Dangaasürengiin Enkhbat was elected as their very first member of parliament.

Merger with the Civil Will Party

In 2011, the CWP suggested the two parties to merge for the 2012 parliamentary elections. Despite many members of the MGP not supporting the proposal, then-party leader Enkhbat favoring a more environmentally liberal and business-friendly green politics, decided to merge with the CWP during its 9th Party Congress, ultimately founding the Civil Will–Green Party in March 2012.

2012-Present

Olzodyn Boum-Yalagch succeeded chairman Enkhbat, whom had joined the merger party, and has been the party's chairman since 2012. The MGP remained an extra-parliamentary party until 2024. Series of negotiations were made between the MGP and ex-MPP member of parliament Nyamtaishiryn Nomtoibayar in June 2023. Then-MP and chairman of the National Labour Party Togmidyn Dorjkhand criticized the MGP of being bought by Nomtoibayar for his re-election bid.
In January 2024, the MGP and the Mongolian National Democratic Party founded the National Coalition for the upcoming 2024 elections. The coalition chose Nomtoibayar as its leader, and ultimately won 4 out of 126 seats in the expanded State Great Khural. However, no MGP members were elected into the parliament. Party chairman Olzodyn Boum-Yalagch, who placed 5th in the coalition closed list, came close to being elected but was cut short due to insufficient amount of party-list votes for proportional representation.