ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia (AP) — Mongolian political fringe groups have protested in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, to demand the dissolution of parliament as economic woes grip the country.
About 200 people including retirees, impoverished herders and disabled people took part in Friday’s demonstration outside government headquarters.
Anticipating social unrest, the government banned alcohol sales and issued a warning to the public against joining in the demonstration.
Mongolia, a landlocked country of 3 million, boasts vast mineral wealth but has struggled to attract foreign investment in the face of plunging commodity prices and high-profile disputes between the government and large investors such as mining giant Rio Tinto.
Corruption and a bulging national debt of about $23 billion, or twice the country’s annual economic output, have also been a major drag on the economy.