Nambaryn Enkhbayar

Nambaryn Enkhbayar (Mongolian: Намбарын Энхбаяр was born on June 1, 1958 in Ulan Bator) is a Mongolian political figure. He was the Prime Minister from June 2000 to 2004. He served as a Speaker of the Parliament from 2004 to 2005. He became the President of Mongolia on June 24, 2005 after winning the May 2005 elections. He is the first person in the history of Mongolia who has occupied all three seats in the government. Under his 10 years of service, Mongolia had transformed from one of the most underdeveloped countries in central Asia, to one of the fastest growing economies in the world attracting the interest of various investors and companies. He was the one who reformed his party, Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (currently Mongolian People’s Party) and directed it towards a democratic, liberal shift, which secured peacefulness of Mongolia’s transition from communism to capitalism. Enkhbayar was a member and then a leader of the MPRP (Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party) since 1992. He was also supportive of the idea of socially beneficial foreign direct investment, attempting to prevent exploitation of Mongolia’s natural resources and trying to secure a deal which would be beneficial for the Mongolian people. In 2009, Enkhbayar was a candidate in the Mongolia presidential elections of 2009, but lost to Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj by a narrow loss of 3.8%. Enkhbayar gave up his seat, however later challenged the results claiming that it was rigged. He stated that he was willing to accept the results at the time in fear of causing unrest. His later arrest adds some validity to his claim.

On 13 April 2013, Enkhbayar was arrested by the IAAC (Independent Authority Against Corruption). This took place less than 2 months before the parliamentary elections in June, 2010, for which Enkhbayar and his party MPRP (Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party) were running. His supporters claim that this was an illegal and politically motivated move, and is a violation of his basic human rights. However the authorities claim that it was a legal action, and Enkhbayar was arrested on valid corruption charges. However, his case had attracted international media attention, and many valid sources, including Amnesty International, claim that this arrest is a violation of his human rights as well as having a political agenda.