ULAANBAATAR New Mongolian President Battulga Khaltmaa has promised an economic overhaul that could see the former communist state move away from neighboring China and closer to other world powers.
Battulga, a member of the leading opposition Democratic Party, took office on July 10, the day after Mongolia's election commission certified the results of the July 7 runoff. Securing 50.6% of the vote, the 54-year-old populist and former martial arts star soundly defeated Miyegombo Enkhbold, the 52-year-old chief of the ruling Mongolian People's Party, who garnered 41.2% of the vote. Some 60.9% of Mongolia's 1.99 million eligible voters turned out.