The Standing Committee on State Structure yesterday organized a meeting to facilitate exchange of views on a new Election Law among members of the working group considering the issue, on the one hand, and representatives of the General Election Committee (GEC), the Supreme Court, the Mongol Bank, the General Police Department and the Union of Mongolian Journalists, on the other. They discussed the laws needed to stop electoral irregularities, to resolve disputes, and to set out the role of the participating organizations.

GEC Secretary Ch.Sodnomtseren said electoral district officials should have the power and authority to collect the evidence to impose penalties for misconduct. The Constitutional Court has given courts the power to decide election disputes, instead of electoral districts, but this will take a long time, and the meeting favored an amendment in the interest of prompt settlement of disputes.

There should also be clarity on who is the final authority to decide on disputes of a criminal nature, the GEC or a criminal court. The GEC has sent these and other suggestions to Parliament which will pass a new law.