Earlier today (19 December) a final discussion on the election bill was held by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on State Structure. During the discussion, 11 controversial articles in the election bill were discussed. Speaker of Parliament G.Zandanshatar criticized one specific article, namely, that a candidate who is charged for corruption and abuse of power will be banned from standing in elections. He said the article is aimed at banning one individual, namely, former President N.Enkhbayar who has been charged for corruption and served time in prison. According to Speaker G.Zandanshatar, the article is in conflict with a decision by the Constitutional Court in 2008.

As a result, the article has been dropped from the bill.