The Democratic Party elects a former finance minister—once imprisoned on money laundering allegations tied to the Oyu Tolgoi deal—as their new general secretary and possibly their presidential candidate for 2027. Parliament debates holding hearings on the Epstein files, with two former Mongolian presidents named in the documents. A government ministry posts an AI-written condolence statement full of factual errors about a beloved writer; the minister deflects all blame, and the person who hit "post" loses their job — Mongolia's first documented firing over AI use. A 19-year-old conscript soldier dies in a hazing incident, the latest in a long pattern the military cannot seem to stop. A landmark Constitutional Court ruling against a criminal defamation law is being quietly replaced by something journalists say could be even worse. And Prime Minister Uchral fires the mayor of Ulaanbaatar in a very public market visit — a move that could signal the next round of civil war inside the Mongolian People's Party.

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Host: Anand

Keywords: Mongolia | Democratic Party | AI government | press freedom | military hazing | Ulaanbaatar mayor | Mongolian People's Party

Spring in Ulaanbaatar: Three Headaches the Snow Was Hiding

Winter is over, the smog has lifted — but what's emerged from the melting snow isn't pretty. In this edition of Little State Mural: Mongolia Updated, Anand breaks down the three issues currently plaguing Mongolia's capital city.

First: the kiosks are back. After the city decommissioned over a thousand street stalls last year, Prime Minister Uchral's speech about his "Chuluulye" business liberation initiative gave vendors the go ahead they needed to reclaim the streets.

Second: the e-bikes. Injuries from scooters and e-bikes have surged from 50 in 2022 to nearly 3,000 by 2025. The city isn't keeping pace with with world and rules for new tech can be slow, but they are there. But enforcement is another story.

And third: Mayor Nyambaatar who wants to build the 39-kilometer ring road expressway through the city — across the Tuul River — despite protests, environmental concerns have lost the battle. Prime minister Uchral issued an order to halt the contruction of this mega project until further notice a rare win for the people, but is it permanent?

Mongolia's new prime minister, Uchral Nyam-Osor, announced his new cabinet. Our thoughts on the reshuffling of the cabinet.

Takeaways

• Cabinet Reshuffle
• Coalition Changes