section_path: Background
section_name: Background
paragraph_text: Background
  
  On 11 January 2025, a demonstration organized by the Liberté party was held at Sukhbaatar Square in Ulaanbaatar, drawing hundreds of participants. Protesters called for the government's resignation over issues including air pollution, traffic congestion, poverty, corruption, taxation, and growing unemployment. The party stated that protests would continue until 22 January and submitted resignation proposals to 33 members of parliament.
  
  Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene was re-elected as prime minister in the 2024 parliamentary election after the Mongolian People's Party (MPP) won 68 of 126 parliamentary seats. Rather than governing alone, he formed a coalition with the Democratic Party (42 seats) and the HUN Party (8 seats) to facilitate consensus on long-term economic reforms, including a proposed sovereign wealth fund and large-scale infrastructure projects. As of 2025, Oyun-Erdene is the longest-serving prime minister in Mongolia since Nambaryn Enkhbayar.
  
  Public frustration was sparked by social media posts made by the fiancée of Temuulen Luvsannamsrai, the prime minister's 23-year-old son, which featured luxury handbags, a high-end ring, and a Mercedes-Benz. The images prompted allegations that the prime minister's family was benefiting from wealth far exceeding the means of a civil servant, intensifying long-standing concerns over corruption and wealth concentration in Mongolia's resource-rich economy.
  
  Although Oyun-Erdene had cultivated a reputation as a reform-minded leader seeking to challenge entrenched interests in the mining and banking sectors, the revelations prompted widespread criticism. Allegations that he was either aware of or had financed his son's lifestyle led to a petition calling for his resignation. The petition, signed by over 59,000 people, also cited high inflation and increasing restrictions on press freedom as contributing grievances. Oyun-Erdene stated that his son had not requested any financial support from him and that Mongolia's Anti-Corruption Agency was investigating the matter. He reportedly expressed willingness to resign without objection if the agency found any discrepancies in his financial disclosures.