After 89 years of presenting a united façade in public, the coming general conference of the MPRP is likely to take the cover off the ugly fractures in the oldest political party in Mongolia. The conference, initially scheduled for last autumn, is now to be held in April. The date was set after the party Secretary General U.Khurelsukh, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Light Industry T.Badamjunai, and Minister for Minerals and Energy D.Zorigt had met the ailing party chairman S.Bayar in the USA last month. The agenda as decided among them does not include changing the leader.

Indications are that the conference will emphasize the need for discipline if the party is to present a united face in the next election. N.Ganbyamba, Sh.Saikhansambuu and D.Terbishdagva are likely to be told to mend their ways.

An assessment of the performance of the coalition Government is likely to let sparks fly. There is a strong demand for the coalition to be dismantled by 2011 and for the MPRP to form a Government on its own with S.Batbold remaining Prime Minister. Those against it say continuing with the coalition will help at the election. The DP can be blamed for all failures of the Government.

This does make political sense. With the DP in charge of Finance, Health, Road, Transportation, Construction and City Development, and Nature, Environment and Tourism, it will be easy to make it the fall guy if there is a problem with Oyutolgoi, for the swine flu scare, and for environmental issues.

All eyes will be on the dispute between N.Enkhbayar and S.Bayar, even if played out by proxy. The former president has several times attributed his defeat in the Presidential election last May to the party under Bayar not providing enough assistance to him. He has not concealed his desire to come back to mainstream politics, but Bayar does not have the slightest intention to make this possible. He postponed the by-election in Chingeltei from before Naadam to mid-October to be able to come up with a good plan to keep Enkhbayar away. His final choice of Minister for Mineral and Energy D.Zorigt as  the party’s candidate was well received, and after .Zorigt had won, Bayar resigned as Prime Minister, relieved that Enkhbayar was not in Parliament. He will keep his position as the party head as long as the “danger” of an Enkhbayar comeback is there. He will not trust S.Batbold with this responsibility even though the tradition has been that an MPRP Prime Minister was the party chairman also. Bayar is expected to return to Mongolia this month, and will have time to plan his strategy.

The inclusion of Zorigt in the small team to visit Bayar in the USA shows his growing importance in the party. He himself keeps a low profile, saying he is new to politics and does not have enough experience to become the MPRP leader. But his grooming has begun. Bayar wants to use Zorigt as a role model to attract younger people to the party, to help break the stranglehold of aging leaders. Among the other young MPRP members in Parliament with a bright future are S.Byambatsogt, J.Enkhbayar, E.Munkh-Ochir, B.Choijilsuren and J.Sukhbaatar.