Lesson 172: Politics and elections

Now hear it and say it

Speak Mongolian with the LIMBA audio course

This written course teaches you to read and write. The LIMBA audio course makes you speak: 24 lessons of 12 to 15 minutes, recorded with a native speaker. You listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect partner for these pages.

Download the Mongolian audio course24 audio lessons · MP3 · yours to keep

Hear lesson 1 free:

1Limba’s diary

Bat explains how elections work

On the way back from the market we cross Sükhbaatar Square. On its north side stands the Government Palace, with a huge seated Chinggis Khaan at its entrance. Nomin tells me she voted for the first time at the last election.

At dinner I ask Bat to explain how Mongolian elections work. He puts down his fork, smiles, and gives me a lesson worthy of a professor.

2Dialogue

LimbaМонголд хуулийг хэн баталдаг вэ?Who passes the laws in Mongolia?
БатУлсын Их Хурал. Их Хурал зуун хорин зургаан гишүүнтэй.The State Great Khural. It has a hundred and twenty-six members.
LimbaИх Хурлын сонгууль хэдэн жилд нэг удаа болдог вэ?How often are elections to the Great Khural held?
БатДөрвөн жилд нэг удаа. Иргэд нэр дэвшигч болон намд санал өгдөг.Once every four years. Citizens vote for candidates and for parties.
НоминБи өнгөрсөн сонгуульд анх удаа санал өгсөн. Их баяртай байсан.I voted for the first time at the last election. I was really happy.
LimbaХэдэн настайгаас санал өгч болдог вэ?From what age can you vote?
БатАрван найман нас хүрсэн иргэн бүр сонгох эрхтэй.Every citizen who has turned eighteen has the right to vote.
LimbaЕрөнхийлөгчийг яаж сонгодог вэ?How is the President elected?
БатЕрөнхийлөгчийг иргэд шууд сонгодог. Ерөнхийлөгч зургаан жилийн хугацаатай, ганц удаа сонгогддог.The citizens elect the President directly. The President is elected only once, for six years.
LimbaТэгвэл Ерөнхий сайдыг хэн сонгодог вэ?Then who chooses the Prime Minister?
БатЕрөнхий сайдыг Их Хурал томилдог. Ерөнхий сайд Засгийн газрыг удирддаг.The Great Khural appoints the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister leads the government.
LimbaИх Хурал, Ерөнхийлөгч, Засгийн газар бүгд хаана байдаг вэ?Where are the Great Khural, the President and the government based?
НоминБүгд Сүхбаатарын талбай дээрх Төрийн ордонд байдаг.All of them are in the Government Palace on Sükhbaatar Square.
БатАрдчилал 1990 онд эхэлсэн. Тэр цагаас хойш иргэд удирдагчаа өөрсдөө сонгодог.Democracy began in 1990. Since then citizens have chosen their leaders themselves.

3Words in this lesson

Mongolian	English
сонгууль	election
ерөнхийлөгч	president
Улсын Их Хурал	the State Great Khural, Mongolia's parliament
батлах	to approve, to pass (a law)
иргэн	citizen (plural иргэд)
нэр дэвшигч	candidate
нам	political party
санал өгөх	to vote
эрх	right
сонгогдох	to be elected
Ерөнхий сайд	Prime Minister
томилох	to appoint
Засгийн газар	the government
Төрийн ордон	the Government Palace

4Grammar and explanations

The institutions

Mongolian	English	Its role
Улсын Их Хурал (УИХ)	the State Great Khural	the parliament: passes the laws
Ерөнхийлөгч	the President	head of state, elected directly
Ерөнхий сайд	the Prime Minister	appointed by the Khural, leads the government
Засгийн газар	the government	runs the country day to day
Үндсэн хууль	the Constitution	adopted in 1992

To elect and to be elected: сонгох, сонгогдох

With the active verb, the voters are the subject and the person elected is the object. With the passive –гд–, the person elected becomes the subject.

Иргэд Ерөнхийлөгчийг шууд сонгодог.citizen-PL president-ACC directly elect-HAB"Citizens elect the President directly."

Ерөнхийлөгч ганц удаа сонгогддог.president only once elect-PASS-HAB"The President is elected only once."

To say "elect someone as…", put the office in the instrumental: Ерөнхийлөгчөөр сонгох, to elect as President.

Түүнийг Ерөнхийлөгчөөр сонгосон.They elected him President.

Having the right or the duty: –х эрхтэй, –х үүрэгтэй

эрх (a right) and үүрэг (a duty) take –тай, and the –х participle in front says what the right or duty is:

Арван найман нас хүрсэн иргэн бүр сонгох эрхтэй.eighteen age reach-PART citizen every elect-PART right-COM"Every citizen who has turned eighteen has the right to vote."

How often, and for how long

X-д нэг удаа — once every X: дөрвөн жилд нэг удаа, once every four years.
X-ын хугацаатай — for a term of X: зургаан жилийн хугацаатай, for six years.

Voting for: санал өгөх + dative-locative

The person or party you vote for takes the dative-locative: намд санал өгөх, to vote for a party. When two nouns are joined by болон, only the last one takes the ending: нэр дэвшигч болон намд.

Go deeper in the grammar guide: Causative and passive · The instrumental · The dative-locative

5Good to know

Mongolia's democratic revolution took place in 1990, with the first free multi-party elections that summer, and the present Constitution was adopted in 1992. The State Great Khural has a single chamber; since the 2024 election it has 126 members, chosen partly in constituencies and partly from party lists. Since a constitutional amendment of 2019, the President is elected directly for a single six-year term. All three institutions sit in the Government Palace, Төрийн ордон, on Sükhbaatar Square.

6Exercises

Choose the right answer, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.

сонгууль means…
Улсын Их Хурал is…
How many members does the State Great Khural have, according to Bat?
How often are elections to the Great Khural held?
Who appoints the Prime Minister?
"The President is elected only once."
"to have the right to vote"
Иргэд Ерөнхийлөгчийг шууд ___. ("Citizens elect the President directly.")
Where are the parliament, the President's office and the government?
нам is…

Well done! Lesson 172 is ticked on your course map.

Write it yourself

Write your answer on paper or in your head first, then reveal the model answer.

Translate: "Elections to the State Great Khural take place once every four years."
Show answer
Улсын Их Хурлын сонгууль дөрвөн жилд нэг удаа болдог.
Translate: "Every citizen who has turned eighteen has the right to vote."
Show answer
Арван найман нас хүрсэн иргэн бүр сонгох эрхтэй.
Translate: "Citizens elect the President directly."
Show answer
Иргэд Ерөнхийлөгчийг шууд сонгодог.
Say it with the passive, without the voters: Иргэд Ерөнхийлөгчийг шууд сонгодог.
Show answer
Ерөнхийлөгч шууд сонгогддог.
Ask: "Who leads the government?"
Show answer
Засгийн газрыг хэн удирддаг вэ?

☰ See all 200 lessons · Back to top ↑

Lesson done? Train your ear

Add the voice to the letters: get the audio course