ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the role of political parties in Mongolia’s democratic transition and the characteristics of the party system using statistical and survey data and interviews. It starts by demonstrating how political parties emerged as the main institution of democratic competition. First, parties provided avenues for elites to coordinate different preferences. Second, they allowed political contestants to present policy options coherently. Third, parties became an accountability mechanism. I then examine the key characteristics of the party system since 1990—parties have become more alike, party-constituent links have become clientelistic, and barriers for party entry have decreased. Further, I compare the two main parties, the Mongolian People’s Party and the Democratic Party, in their policy preferences, organizational structure, personnel management, and intra-party dynamics. These parties, and broadly Mongolia’s party system, face many challenges, including low public trust, unreliable financing, and the potential hegemony of a single party.
