Sanj Bayar is new Prime Minister 

The State Great Hural elected Sanj Bayar, 51, as Mongolia's 24th Prime Minister on November 22, 2007. He is Mongolia's third prime minister since the 2004 elections. Bayar replaces Prime Minister M. Enkhbold, who resigned on November 8 after losing the chairmanship of the ruling Mongolian Peoples Revolutionary Party (MPRP) to Bayar at a party congress on October 26. Enkhbold will remain in Bayar's government as Deputy Prime Minister.

Bayar's friends and critics commonly describe him as intensely intellectual but supremely pragmatic, decisive, forceful, a brilliant strategist and fiercely competitive.

Although he served in elective office only once before as a member of the Baga Hural that drafted Mongolia's constitution in 1990-1992 Bayar has been close to the levers of power in Mongolia for most of his career. Bayar was Secretary General of the MPRP from January 2005 until October 2007. Previously, he served as Mongolia's ambassador to the Russian Federation during 2001-2005 and as head of the President's Chancellery (i.e. chief of staff) under President N. Bagabandi during 1997-2001. During the Socialist Period before the fall of the Politburo in 1990, Bayar worked for almost nine years in Mongolian media, including as chief editor of a state-owned newspaper, head of the MONTSAME News Agency and as deputy chief of the state-owned radio and television agency.  He speaks fluent English and Russian.

Prime Minister Bayar replaced almost the entire cabinet but almost all the new ministers have strong credentials from previous experience in national government. Of particular interest were his choices for Foreign Minister and Minister of Industry and Commerce; the latter has jurisdiction over mining and oil development as well as international trade negotiations.

The new Foreign Minister is Dr. S. Oyun, a Member of Parliament since 1998 and Chair the Mongolian Civil Courage Party (sometimes translated as the Civic Will Party), which concentrates on transparency and anti-corruption issues. Oyun was the first Mongolian to earn a doctorate in mining metallurgy at Cambridge University and worked for Rio Tinto in London before her return to Mongolia 10 years ago.

Mr. Kh. Narankhuu, the new Minister of Industry & Commerce,  served previously for over seven years as Director General of  Erdenet Copper, the Mongolian-Russian joint venture that is one of the largest copper mines in the world. The site of the mine is Mongolia's third largest city. Naranhuu successfully took over running Erdenet after years of  controversy and has a thorough knowledge of international mining and metals trading. He previously served as Economic Counselor at Mongolia's embassy in Washington, DC. Both Oyun and Naranhuu speak fluent English and Russian.

Posted (12/12/2007)