Mongolia names Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh as new PM after ousting previous leader

Ulaanbaatar: Mongolia named a new prime minister on Wednesday, weeks after the previous leader and his cabinet were ousted over corruption allegations.

Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh -- a former deputy PM known for his macho image, having posed shirtless Putin-style with a hunting gun -- was selected by the ruling Mongolia People's Party (MPP), which took power after a landslide election victory a little over a year ago.

In a speech following his victory, Khurelsukh pledged to "improve people's lives, declare discipline and rules, fight corruption and punish those who are irresponsible".

"My cabinet... Will declare justice again," he said, adding, "don't come to me with illegal acts as well as my cabinet members and don't pressure us to act illegally."

Ex-premier Jargaltulgiin Erdenebat was voted out in early September by legislators who accused him of granting 800 billion tugrik ($328 million) in concessions to eight companies related to his cabinet ministers.

Erdenebat was also accused of providing illegal cash allowances to voters and presenting a poor image to the public -- allegations he fiercely denies.

Khurelsukh, 49, started his career in the army but joined parliament as a member of the MPP in 2000.

As well as his collection of photos inspired by Russian president Vladimir Putin, last month he earned the nickname "Fist" after a 2012 video of him punching a fellow parliamentarian went viral.

Although he has pitched himself as a clean leader, he has come under suspicion of using illegal donations in his campaign and in 2007 was investigated for receiving stolen funds from a state-owned bank. The charges were later dropped.

Mongolia's economy had performed well under Erdenebat's government, with a dramatic improvement in the first half of 2017 on the back of growing demand for coal from China.
Political instability, however, has been a constant problem for the young Central Asian democracy, which passed its first constitution in 1992 after decades of Communist rule.

The country has been through 15 different cabinets in the years since, each lasting an average of 1.5 years.

The MPP took 65 out of 76 national parliament seats in the 2016 polls, but lost a closely-contested presidential election in July.

The decision to demand Erdenebat's resignation was made after the MPP leadership declined to punish party bigwigs for their alleged role in a $25 million conspiracy to sell government positions that many believe cost the party the presidency.