Elbegdorj Hangs Tough in Mongolia Presidential Polls

For those of you following the Presidential elections in Mongolia, there is a bit of a surprise from the latest Sant Maral poll. Here is an excerpt from the report:

"A nationwide survey of voting intentions gives the DP candidate, Mr. Ts. Elbegdorj, a slight edge over his MPRP rival, incumbent President Mr. N. Enkhbayar. Asked which candidate they would vote for as President, 37% of the respondents across the nation suppported Mr. Elbegdorj, while 36.2% were for Mr. Enkhbayar. The lead for the DP challenger was larger in Ulaanbaatar, where he had 36.7% support against Mr. Enkhbayar’s 32.3%. In the countryside, however, 38.3% favored the President, with 37.2% saying they preferred Mr. Elbegdorj. In Ulaanbaatar, the percentage of the respondents who said they would not vote was 8.8%, who refused to reveal their preference 8.1%, and those who had not made up their mind 14.2%."

So it looks like it is going to a be a tight race after all. Why is the race so tight? Blame it on factional divide within the MPRP. The MPRP has historically been very tight and not affected by the factionalism that has ripped apart the Democrats over the years. But now factions are growing in the MPRP ranks and some of them are lining up against the president. The poll reflects this divide.