Mongolian opposition candidate killed during election campaign

The man was killed on Saturday, police said. The circumstances of the attack are still unclear.

Local media named the man B. Bayanmunkh, while a statement from his party referred to him as “BB.”

The DP expressed its sadness that “a star of democracy … has lost his life at the hands of others.”

“At around 10 p.m. … B was killed by others during a meeting of five MPP members in the first round of parliamentary elections,” the party said in a statement, mentioning the acronym of the ruling Mongolian People’s Party.

Mongolia, which is three times the size of France but has only 3.5 million inhabitants, will hold parliamentary elections on June 28.

In the democratic country between China and Russia, violence rarely occurs during election campaigns. All shades of the political spectrum are represented in the media and confrontational debates are the order of the day.

However, critics say the rule of law in the country is declining and the government is trying to contain criticism of the country’s corruption record.

“This election is taking place under all kinds of constraints, including strong pressure and espionage from the government,” the DP statement continued.

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