The current Constitution of Mongolia (, ''Mongol Ulsyn Ündsen Khuuli'', "Fundamental Law of Mongolia") was adopted on 13 January 1992, put into force on 12 February, and amended in 1999, 2000 and 2019. The new

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

established a

representative democracy Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy where elected people represent a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of represe ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

, guaranteeing

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freed ...

, rights, travel, expression,

unalienable rights Some philosophers distinguish two types of rights, natural rights and legal rights. * Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws or customs of any particular culture or government, and so are ''universal'', ''fundamental'' and ...

, government setup, election cycle, and other matters. It was written after the

Mongolian Revolution of 1990 The Mongolian Revolution of 1990, known in Mongolia as the 1990 Democratic Revolution ( mn, 1990 оны ардчилсан хувьсгал, ), was a peaceful democratic revolution which led to the country's transition to a multi-party syst ...

and dissolved the

People's Republic of Mongolia The Mongolian People's Republic ( mn, Бүгд Найрамдах Монгол Ард Улс, БНМАУ; , ''BNMAU''; ) was a socialist state which existed from 1924 to 1992, located in the historical region of Outer Mongolia in East Asia. It ...

. It consists of a preamble followed by six chapters divided into 70 articles. It is very close to and/or inspired by

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

constitutions in terms of

freedom of press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic media, especially published materials, should be considered a right to be exerc ...

, inalienable rights, freedom to travel, and other rights.

Constitutional history

Previous constitutions had been adopted in 1924, 1940 and 1960.

Chapters

Chapter One

Declares the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Mongolian state. Defines relationship between religion and state. Defines Mongolian emblem, flag, and anthem.

Chapter Two

Specifies the civil, political, and human rights of the individual. Freedom of speech, religion, of expression, of the press, the right to vote. Equality before the law. The right to Health care, education, and intellectual property. Also lists duties of the citizen, including paying taxes and serving in the armed forces.Montsame News Agency. ''Mongolia''. 2006, , p. 39

Chapter Three

Defines the structure of the legal system and form of the republic. Describes the structure of the government.

Chapter Four

Codifies the administrative districts of Mongolia and describes the relationship between national and local government.

Chapter Five

Establishes a Constitutional Court to make rulings on interpretation of the constitution.

Chapter Six

Describes the amendment process for changing the constitution.

2019 Constitutional amendments

Mongolia has amended its constitution strengthening the powers of the prime minister in a bid to end years of political instability and economic stagnation. With the amendments, presidential term has also been shortened to single 6-year term, which could take effect in 2020 allowing current President Khaltmaagiin Battulga to run for another term in 2021. The amendments in the constitution are supposed to enhance the economic opportunities of the Mongolian citizenry and give them better control over how the country's vast natural resources and the revenues earned from them are maintained. Furthermore, the amendments increased the independence of the judiciary by stripping the president of his power to appoint judges in key posts, and establish parliamentary rather than executive oversight over judicial matters. The amendments featured vigorous participation of ordinary people as well as incumbent politicians. Proportional representation as a system to elect lawmakers were rejected, though the constitutional changes guaranteed that election laws are not changed a year before polls are held. In 2022, lawmakers started to look into updating the constitution and strengthen democracy while touting the virtues of the Westminster system. If the amendment is ratified, the president would be stripped of much of his power.

References

External links

Mongolia's Constitution of 1992 with Amendments through 2001

{{Constitutions of Asia Government of Mongolia Law of Mongolia