Zandaakhüügiin Enkhbold ( mn, Зандаахүүгийн Энхболд, born May 23, 1966 in Ulaanbaatar) was the chairman or speaker of the State Great Khural from 2012 to 2016. He spent his childhood in

Selenge Province Selenge ( mn, Сэлэнгэ) is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and C ...

. He was educated at

Ural State University The Ural State University (russian: Урáльский госудáрственный университéт и́мени А.М. Гóрького, , often shortened to USU, УрГУ) is a public university located in the city of Yekaterinburg, Sv ...

in Russia as an electrical engineer with a concentration on automation and telemetry from 1984 to 1989. Later, he earned a diploma of law from the

National University of Mongolia The National University of Mongolia ( mn, Монгол Улсын Их Сургууль, ''Mongol Ulsyn Ikh Surguuli'', abbreviated ''NUM'' or ''MUIS'') is a public university primarily located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Established in 1942, it is ...

in 1996 and graduated with an IMBA from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

in 2004. Although he joined the pro-democracy movement in late 1989 and the

Mongolian Social Democratic Party The Mongolian Social Democratic Party ( mn, Монголын Социал Демократ Нам, , sometimes also referred to as ''Sotsdek nam'') is a political party in Mongolia. It was founded in 1990 by Bat-Erdeniin Batbayar. Other prominen ...

in 1990, Enkhbold emerged on the political scene in 1996 when he was appointed the Chairman of State Property Committee, the government agency responsible for the administration of the privatization process in Mongolia. After electoral defeat in 2000, Enkhbold was elected as secretary-general of the

Democratic Party (Mongolia) The Democratic Party ( mn, Ардчилсан Нам, ''Ardchilsan Nam'') is a centre-right political party in Mongolia. History Founding and early years After the 1990 democratic revolution, Mongolia became a country with a multi-party sys ...

(DP). However, he resigned from his post after the DP lost the 2001 presidential election. Enkhbold assumed his seat in parliament from

Övörkhangai Province Övörkhangai ( mn, Өвөрхангай, ''Öwörhangai''; "southern Khangai") is one of the 21 aimags (provinces) of Mongolia, located in the south of the country. Its capital is Arvaikheer. The Shankh Monastery, one of the oldest and most i ...

in 2005. He was one of three sponsors of the controversial

Windfall Profits Tax A windfall tax is a higher tax rate on profits that ensue from a sudden windfall gain to a particular company or industry. There have been windfall taxes in various countries across the world, including Mongolia, Australia, and on wind power i ...

that was abolished when the Mongolian government signed an Investment Agreement for the

Oyu Tolgoi mine The Oyu Tolgoi mine, also ( mn, Оюутолгой, ; "Turquoise Hill"), is a combined open pit and underground mining project in Khanbogd sum within the south Gobi Desert, approximately east of the Ömnögovi Province capital Dalanzadg ...

. During his third parliamentary term, he served as the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Security and Foreign Policy from 2008-2011. Enkhbold has been perceived and has maintained his image as a brave, honest, and disinterested politician. Unlike most leaders in the DP, he has been much less involved in deals between the DP and the

Mongolian People's Party The Mongolian People's Party (MPP) is a social democratic political party in Mongolia. It was founded as a communist party in 1920 by Mongolian revolutionaries and is the oldest political party in Mongolia. The party played an important role ...

(MPP) since 2004 and did not serve as a cabinet member in the coalition governments of 2004 and 2008. Moreover, Enkhbold has often come to public attention through his questions and statements about misconduct of politicians, often including fellow DP members. In 2012, Enkhbold founded “Shonkhor” (Falcon), an influential faction within the DP. Enkhbold was a co-author of the new parliamentary election law of early 2012 that introduced a mix of majoritarian districts and proportional representation, a women's quota for candidates, electronic counting of ballots, and more stringent requirements for candidates and party platforms. In the June 2012 election, the DP listed him second on its proportional representation party list. Following the DP victory he has become Speaker of Parliament. He was unseated in the June 2016 election.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enkhbold, Zandaakhuu 1966 births Living people National University of Mongolia alumni Democratic Party (Mongolia) politicians Speakers of the State Great Khural People from Ulaanbaatar Ural State University alumni