State Prosecutor General
M.Altankhuyag has submitted his letter of resignation on health reasons. This
was not unexpected as the reputation of Mongolian law enforcing organizations
suffered in the aftermath of the July 1 incidents and ever since he assumed
office, President Elbegdorj has been nudging Altankhuyag to go. He made the
suggestion in his speech at the opening of the Spring session of Parliament
also. Altankhuyag has one year left of his six-year term. The Prosecutor
General is appointed by the President and takes office after Parliament’s
approval.

Now that he has submitted
his resignation, interest shifts to the choice of a successor. Had this been a
year ago, the front runners would have been D.Dorligjav, now Head of the
President’s Office, and B.Delgermaa of the Democratic Party. Both studied law
and have all the qualifications for the job. Mrs. Delgermaa is known for her
commitment to judicial reform and protection of human rights. They are still
contenders, but now face challenge from A.Gansukh, Deputy Minister of
Transport. He, too, was trained in law and defended Ts.Sukhbaatar when he was
charged with taking bribe from people selected to go to South Korea for work.

He is also married to the
sister of the wife of Prime Minister S.Batbold. Some politicians are behind
him, but it is difficult to say if their support stems from their appreciation
of his legal acumen or from his family links to the Prime Minister. Not that
there is any guarantee, in present-day Mongolia, that someone apart from these
three will not be the final choice, from some other family network or because
of what is known as connections.