Mongolia president mulls hunger strike to protest parliament

Bloomberg

Mongolia’s president said he may go on a hunger strike or stage a sit-in as a last resort to pressure the North Asian nation’s parliament to voluntarily disband after he criticized it for failing to stand up to economic challenges.
President Khaltmaa Battulga, who has only has limited power to introduce and veto legislation, made the suggestion in a television interview on Monday. He earlier submitted a proposal to open discussions to dissolve the parliament, citing inaction by the government after it sought a bailout from the International Monetary Fund last year.
Asked in an interview with Mongolia’s C1 Television what he’d do after asking the parliament to disband, Battulga said: “Hunger strike?”
“This is the the stage we’re at,” said the president, who also suggested a sit-in. “I’ve tried different means by sending proposals, and we’ve discussed the matter.”
A spokeswoman for the president declined to comment on the seriousness of his remarks. Battulga’s actions were largely seen as a political stunt ahead of planned parliamentary elections in 2020, in which his opposition Democratic Party will look to pick up more seats. The ruling Mongolian People’s Party controls 85 percent of seats in the 76-member legislature, and a motion to dissolve parliament needs at least a two-thirds majority.