Sükhbaataryn Batbold

Sükhbaataryn Batbold
Сүхбаатарын Батболд
Prime Minister of Mongolia
In office 29 October 2009 – 10 August 2012
President	Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj
Deputy	Norovyn Altankhuyag
Preceded by	Sanjaagiin Bayar
Succeeded by	Norovyn Altankhuyag
General Secretary of the Mongolian People's Party
In office 8 April 2009 – 25 July 2012
Preceded by	Sanjaagiin Bayar
Succeeded by	Ölziisaikhany Enkhtüvshin
Personal details
Born	(1963-06-24) 24 June 1963 Choibalsan, Mongolia [1]
Political party	Mongolian People's Party
Alma mater	Moscow State Institute of International Relations London Business School Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia
Website	Official website

Sükhbaataryn Batbold (Mongolian: Сүхбаатарын Батболд, born June 24, 1963) is a Mongolian politician who was Prime Minister of Mongolia from 2009 to 2012, as well as General Secretary of the Mongolian People's Party.^[2] He was previously Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of his predecessor, Sanjaagiin Bayar.

Personal life and education

As a child Batbold used to attend the 14th high school in Ulaanbaatar, then going on to study in Russia at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations between 1980 and 1986. He also studied at the London Business School in 1991, as well as the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Moscow in 2002.^[3]

Batbold previously held an executive position at Mongol Impex Cooperative. He also headed Altai Trading Co. Ltd., which among others owns the Chinggis Khaan Hotel and the Skytel cellular operator from 1992 to 2000.^[4] He is widely rumored to be one of the richest Mongolian politicians due to his ownerships of a wide range of different companies.

Political career

Batbold was twice elected as a Member of Parliament and was also the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs during 2000–2004 and Cabinet Minister of Trade and Industry between 2004 and 2006.^[3] In addition, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2008 until he was nominated to become prime minister in 2009.

During his tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs, he hosted United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Ulan Bator to discuss the topic of climate change in Mongolia.^[5] Batbold also substituted for then Prime Minister Bayar at a Prime Ministers' meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.^[6]

Leader of Mongolian People's Party

Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP), a ruling party, restored its original name of Mongolian People’s Party, right before its party leader’s election. Three candidates, Speaker Demberel, MP Enkhtuvshin and PM S. Batbold, were proposed for the Leadership, but Speaker Demberel took his name off from candidate list. The voting continued until 4:30 am and with majority votes of 85% (675 votes from 788 voters), PM S. Batbold elected as the General secretary of Mongolian People’s Party (MPP). MPP also changed its ideology into “third way”, which allows active involvement of state in the nation’s wealth distribution through public and private partnership. Therefore, business community should expect such measures and arrangements in the Government action in next two years.^[7]

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