Mongolia’s Prime Minister, Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, has resigned after photos of his son living a luxurious holiday lifestyle circulated on social media.
Among the images was a photo of the son’s girlfriend carrying an expensive Dior handbag, which sparked public outrage, triggering an investigation into alleged corruption and embezzlement of public funds.
Many Mongolians questioned how the Prime Minister’s family could afford such extravagance, leading to massive protests, especially by youth, who spent two weeks demanding his resignation.
On Tuesday, the Parliament withdrew confidence in Oyun-Erdene through a secret ballot, with 44 out of 88 MPs voting for him and 38 voting against. He needed at least 64 votes to remain in office.
Oyun-Erdene denied all allegations, claiming they were lies meant to discredit him. However, the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission had reportedly been monitoring his family’s finances for some time.
Mongolia continues to struggle with widespread corruption. Transparency International recently ranked it 114th out of 180 countries on governance and integrity.
