Ulaanbaatar, October 11, 2024 /MONTSAME/. Voting for the 2024 Election of the Citizens Representative Khurals of Aimags, Capital City, Soums, and Districts of Mongolia officially began at 7:00 AM, October 11, 2024.

Today, 2,246,164 eligible voters nationwide (1,146,158 from local areas, 1,102,278 from Ulaanbaatar) would cast their votes. Nationwide, 18,033 voters have requested to vote using sealed mobile ballot boxes, and yesterday, on October 10, 2024, between 9:00 AM and 8:00 PM, election committee members worked across 7,500 routes according to an approved schedule.

According to Resolution No. 199 of the General Election Commission of Mongolia, the ballot design for this election has been approved. The ballot paper will have two sections: one for the "Citizens Representative Khurals of the aimags and the Capital City" and the "Citizens Representative Khurals of the soums and districts." Voters will mark the oval shape next to the candidate’s name they support. If more marks are made than the allowed number of mandates, the vote will be considered invalid.

In total, 2,824 vote-counting machines have been installed at 2,230 polling stations across the country. Specifically, districts with over 1,500 residents will have two machines each, while districts with fewer than 1,500 residents will have one vote-counting machine.

In this election, 17,278 candidates from 10 parties, one coalition, and 268 independent candidates are running for 8,031 mandates in 2,395 electoral districts. Of the candidates, 5,582 (32.3 percent) are women, and 11,696 (67.7 percent) are men. The majority of candidates are aged between 31 and 50. Nationwide, 17,800 observers will monitor the voting and counting process.

A total of 25,621 civil servants and service workers, including 20,601 members of election committees, 2,683 supervisors from 169 information technology teams, 2,337 accredited civil servants, as well as police and emergency service workers, will perform their legal duties to ensure citizens' voting and election rights.

Voting will continue until 8:00 PM, October 11, 2024. Employers are obligated to grant a day off to employees today to ensure they have the opportunity to vote. If they fail to provide this opportunity, the employer may be fined under the Violations Law.

The elections of the Citizens Representative Khurals of Aimags, Capital City, Soums, and Districts are a fundamental way for the citizens of Mongolia to form local self-governing bodies through their representatives. As a result, today has been declared a public holiday, and the General Election Commission of Mongolia encourages citizens to actively participate in the elections.