MPs and other officials recently told our correspondent their opinions on holding the elections for Parliament and local managing officials at the same time.

N.Luvsanjav: It will be difficult to hold elections simultaneously

The head of the Election General Committee, N.Luvsanjav, said technology makes it possible to hold two elections at once, but it will be difficult. He said the law on the local managing officials’ election has different regulations than the law on the parliamentary election. He said we should consider the problems inherent in organizing two elections with different regulations simultaneously. He said there will be many problems, including technical issues. He said the Election General Committee could not say how to organize elections because it only implements Parliament’s decisions.

MP N.Enkhbold: It will be hard to organize two large elections

N.Enkhbold said the election law says parliamentary and local managing officials’ elections should be held at the same time. He said citizens told him their suggestions when he visited local settlements. Officials and citizens who had election experience said there will be many difficult problems if the two elections are held simultaneously. Besides, the 2012 parliamentary election will use electronic voting machines for the first time. The two elections will raise many technical issues, and there could be disputes. He said we should discuss the issue again.

R.Gonchigdorj: All things have negative and positive sides 

R.Gonchigdorj said that all things have negative and positive sides, and the negative sides create problems. Holding the two elections at once will make it harder to count votes, and that could make it hard to determine results. But he said electronic voting systems could eliminate those problems.

He said he thinks holding the two elections simultaneously could reduce the politicization of the process, and voters could make their voices heard at one time. He also said it would economize expenditures.