President Ts.Elbegdorj visited Darkhan-Uul and Selenge aimags last weekend. Those two aimags voted for him by a wide margin in the presidential election. “Next year is an election year,” he said while meeting with local residents. “State officials have a busy schedule at this time. Darkhan and Selenge are key areas of agriculture. This year’s harvest was the best in 20 years.”

The president met with local residents and heard their opinions. The hall where the meeting was held was filled.  When his train arrived in Selenge, the president was greeted by local officials. He was accompanied by MPs from the aimags.

The president encouraged citizens to participate in society. He said, “A Mongolian’s freedom is the key to Mongolia’s success.… Actually, citizens must give their opinions, and the authorities should listen to them. Sometimes that is inverted in Mongolia.”

The president also said he would like to put an end to the allowances from the Human Development Fund that citizens receive. “That we allowed such a great amount of money to be issued to citizens was a mistake. It was bad for the economy and encouraged people to be lazy.”

But the president said he still supports tuition allowances for students, and said he supports programs for children because they are the most “fragile group” in society. Finance Minister S.Bayartsogt, who also accompanied the president, was also asked many questions, but refused to answer them, saying the residents should ask the president all their questions.