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MongoliaLegislative
The unicameral People's Great Hural is described in the
Constitution as "the highest agency of state power in the
Mongolian People's Republic." It is assigned exclusive
legislative power for the country by Article 19. The Eleventh
People's Great Hural, elected in July 1986, had 370 deputies as
determined by a constitutional amendment in 1981 (see
table 11,
Appendix). Of the 370 elected deputies, nearly 89 percent were
party members or candidate members; 28 percent, industrial
workers; 28 percent, agrarian cooperative members; and 44
percent, intellectuals and bureaucrats. Also, 25 percent of the
deputies were women, and 67 percent were elected for the first
time. Finally, deputies were afforded special protection in that
they may not be arrested or brought to trial without the consent
of the Hural or its Presidium.
Deputies served four-year terms, and they were elected from
districts divided equally according to population. The slate of
candidates presented, however, required party review and approval
well in advance of the election. Candidates were proposed by
trade unions, farm organizations, youth and party organizations,
and other social organizations. Before election day, usually in
June, the names of candidates for these constituencies were
published in the press. Registered electors could vote for one
registered candidate by placing an unmarked ballot bearing the
candidate's name in the ballot box. To vote against a candidate,
an elector had to strike the candidate's name from the ballot.
It was estimated that 33 percent of the deputies--
representing the party and state leadership--were reelected after
each term. Not surprisingly, a high proportion of the elected
deputies were party members or candidate members. There also was
a noticeable trend reflecting the gradual urbanization of the
country, as shown in the 1979 Mongolian census figures. Press
coverage of results usually reported 99.98 percent turnout, in
favor of the official candidates.
The People's Great Hural, which convenes once a year, elects
its officers, including a chairman (speaker) and four deputy
chairmen. It selects standing commissions (budget, legislative
proposals, nationality affairs, and foreign affairs), and it
elects the Presidium. Constitutional powers accorded to the
People's Great Hural include amendment of the constitution;
adoption of laws; formation of the Council of Ministers; and
confirmation of ministers, the national economic plan, and the
budget. In 1989 the deputy chairmen were the president of the
Presidium, an army officer, a woman, and, to show recognition of
minorities, a
Kazakh (see Glossary).
Ten permanent committees assisted in specialized areas of
government work: industry; environmental protection;
construction; youth affairs; budgets and planning; transportation
and communications; labor resources; agriculture; trade and
services; and health, education, culture and scientific affairs.
Also, the People's Great Hural was given powers to establish "the
basic principles and measures in the domain of internal and
foreign policy" and to decide "questions of peace and defense of
the socialist motherland." In practice, however, authority in the
fields of foreign and domestic affairs was exercised regularly by
the chairman of the Presidium and the minister of foreign
affairs. By a constitutional amendment in November 1980, the
People's Great Hural is charged with forming the state's People's
Control Committee that heads a system of agencies "which shall
incorporate state and social control of the working people at
enterprises, institutions, organizations, and agricultural
associations."
Although legislative power is concentrated in the People's
Great Hural, the right of legislative initiative is accorded to
several bodies. They include the Presidium, the Council of
Ministers, deputies and standing commissions of the People's
Great Hural, the Supreme Court, and the Office of the Procurator
of the Republic
(see The Legal System
, ch. 5). In addition,
legislation can be introduced by youths and workers through the
Central Committee of the Mongolian Revolutionary Youth League and
the Central Council of Mongolian Trade Unions.
The Presidium of the People's Great Hural was the "highest
agency of state power" presiding in the interval between
legislative sessions. In 1989 the chairman of the Presidium,
Batmonh, was the de facto president of Mongolia. Other Presidium
officers included a deputy chairman, a secretary, and five
members representing trade unions (two persons for this
category), youth, women, and a key party department (either the
cadres administration or foreign relations department). The
principal powers of the Presidium include formation, abolition,
and reorganization of ministries; appointment of ministers and
ambassadors; ratification or denunciation of treaties and
agreements with other states; and award of military and other
titles and ranks. The Presidium also participates in the regular
powers accorded to the People's Great Hural.
Data as of June 1989
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