Khaltmaagiin Battulga


Khaltmaagiin Battulga is a Mongolian politician and sambo wrestler who has served as President of Mongolia since July 2017. He served as Member of the State Great Khural from 2004 to 2016 and Minister of Roads, Transportation, Construction and Urban Development from 2008 to 2012. Before his career in politics, Battulga was a sambo wrestling champion. He was the Democratic Party's candidate in the 2017 presidential election and was elected President with 50.6% in the run-off, the first-ever run-off election in modern Mongolian history. Mongolians are sharply divided about his role in the 2019 Mongolian constitutional crisis.

Background

Battulga is a second child. His father and mother are both from Bayankhongor Province. The family was allocated a traditional ger in the Yarmag district in Ulaanbaatar after they lost everything in the flood of Tuul River in 1966. Battulga grew up in the streets of Yarmag and went to a local secondary school. When he graduated from eighth grade, his teacher recommended that he apply to an art school given his talents. Battulga graduated in 1982. While studying at the arts school, Battulga sold his paintings to tourists around the Bayangol Hotel area, learning sufficient English to help sell his artwork. However, he does not have any higher education record and is well-known as the uneducated president.
Battulga grew up around Mongolian traditional wrestling, as his father was a coach. Battulga was a member of the Mongolian National wrestling team in 1979-1990 and won the world cup championship in Ulaanbaatar in 1989. Wrestling allowed Battulga to travel internationally at a period when travel abroad for Mongolians was not allowed. Battulga was awarded a Merited Sportsmen of Mongolia in 1995 before being selected as the Chairman of the Mongolian Judo Federation in 2006. Under Battulga's leadership at the Judo Federation, Mongolian judokas became Olympic champions for the first time in history.
In 1990, Battulga started sewing and selling jeans locally and in Hungary. He saved $600 to buy a video camera and start an export-import business trading electronics from Singapore to Mongolia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
Battulga, like many others of his generation, was fascinated with The Godfather and named his first company Genco. Genco acquired controlling interests during the privatization of state-owned assets such as Bayangol Hotel and meat-processing factory Makh-Impex in 1997 and 1999 respectively. In the 1990s Genco group started one of the first taxi businesses in Mongolia called City Taxi, retail store operations under Sapporo name, lottery business, restaurant and night club operations, flour milling, and bread-making factory Talkh Chikher LLC.

Political views

In 2004, Battulga became a Member of Parliament for Bayankhongor province for the first time. He was re-elected to parliament in 2008 and 2012. As a result, many international companies have expressed their interest to invest and provide technologies and construction services, such as Air Liquide, Baotou Steel, Dandong Port, Overseas Infrastructure Alliance, OAO Russian Railways, Rao UES, Sembcorp, Sinohydro, Steel Authority of India Limited.
and Battulga Khaltmaa in Vladivostok
Battulga criticizes the Mongolian economy's dependence on a single trade partner, and in return is criticized by shareholders and stakeholders of coal miners.

Presidency (2017–present)

Inauguration

Battulga's inauguration took place at the State Palace on 10 July 2017 in the presence of Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat and former president Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj. In his presidential address, he laid out the principles for his term, including one for the industrialization of the country. He also said that he would work to maintain and expand the good-neighbor relations with Russia and China and will "pay utmost attention" to the third neighbor policy, referring to the United States. After the ceremony, he went outside to lay wreaths at the monuments to Damdin Sükhbaatar and Chinggis Khaan. He also received state heraldry, including the state stamp and the presidential certificate.

Domestic policy

Within days of his inauguration, he took measures to reinstate the death penalty for sexual offenders, which came days after the death penalty was completely abolished in the country. On 16 October, Battulga announced the formation of an expert group to look into the reinstatement of the death penalty for premeditated murder committed and rape circumstances. The following month, he submitted his proposal to the justice and interior ministry. In a speech to the during the opening of the autumn session of the State Great Khural, he claimed that a systemic social crisis is to blame for the national challenges that posed a threat to the country.
Since he became president, Battulga has made it standard practice for people to put their hand on their heart during the performance of the national anthem of Mongolia by a concert or military band, as well as a vocal performance. On 27 March 2019, the State Great Khural began a constitutional crisis when it adopted an unprecedented law that gave the National Security Council of Mongolia the power to recommend the dismissal of judges and prosecutors, as well as the head of the national anti-corruption service. Battulga's political party, the opposition's main minority faction in the parliament, claims that the law undermines the country's constitutional separation of powers and the larger Mongolian democratic system.
Since constitutional amendments, which took effect in May 2020, limits one's presidency to one term, it is still unclear if Battulga can re-run in the 2021 presidential election.

Foreign policy

Battulga is largely seen as a pro-Russian politician and a Russophile due to his Russian ties and his knowledge of the Russian language. He is commonly compared to Russian President Vladimir Putin due to their shared love and experience in judo. When he spoke to Putin during a summit in eastern Russia in September 2017, Putin said that the shared sport will help "develop a good working and personal relationship". On 14 June 2018, after the conclusion of the Singapore Summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, Battulga congratulated both leaders, telling Kim that he considers the summit as a "landmark event not only for the North Korea–United States relations but for the Northeast Asian region and the Korean Peninsula". Battulga was widely expected to host the summit as the Mongolian head of state due to the fact that the country has sponsored many regional summits in recent years and is easily accessible by train from Pyongyang, North Korea. Days after the summit, Battulga invited Kim to Ulan Bator for a state visit in honor of the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations. Earlier in mid-March, Battulga appealed to Trump via telegram to advance trade relations, saying that although Mongolia is an "oasis of democracy", it "does not contribute to economic development". During a visit to Kyrgyzstan in June 2019, Battulga opened the Mongolian Embassy in Bishkek.

International trips as president

Private life

He currently lives with Angelique Davain, a Russian by nationality and native of the Khentii Province. His legal wife, Ts. Enkhtuya was the director of the Nüüdelchin Company. He is currently a father to two sets of twin sons. Aside from Mongolian, Battulga also speaks Russian and English.
John Bolton wrote in his book The Room Where it Happened that President Battulga's son served in Afghanistan for a US-led multinational force.

Social contributions

Battulga sponsored the construction of the Chingis Khan Equestrian Statue near Ulaanbaatar to celebrate national pride. The statue became one of the main tourist attractions.
Battulga is also President of the Mongolian Judo Association. Under his guidance, Mongolian judoka Tuvshinbayar Naidan became an Olympic judo champion in Beijing 2008. As such, judo has become one of the most popular sports in Mongolia.