[Ben] Mon - Mongolia votes

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The polls closed, and everything looks like Enkhbayar is set to win the presidential elections. Turnout was historically low. Results are expected for Monday.

From the IHT:

‘‘It’s good to be old, because people come out and take our vote,’’ said Batsukh Tseveenchimed, 62, as she offered bread and tea to the six poll workers — including opposition party monitors — who descended on her tent.

International observers controlling local polling stations did not report any irregularities. However, the opposition is not joining this praise:

Opposition parties complain that ruling party members still dominate the local election commissions, which register voters and run polling stations.

Activists demonstrated in the capital, Ulan Bator, this month, demanding that the election bodies be dissolved. They said they would be watching for possible voter intimidation.

It seems that the ex-communist MPRP's candidate Enkhbayar is set to win, amidst what observers call a widespread nostalgia for communism:

"Everyone was equal under communist rule,'' Choijav said. "Now, some people are very rich and some are very poor.''

ITAR-TASS is having a pretty stereotypical view of how an elections in Mongolia should look like (though their correspondent actually sits in Tokyo...):

Several dozen thousands of Mongols are heading on Sunday horseback and on camels for polling stations which are dispersed in vast steppes.

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