Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat

Presidency (1990–1997)

Although Ochirbat strongly advocated policies of rapid national revitalization and economic reform to break the country from its socialist past and adopt capitalism by the year 2000, he had a reputation for flexibility and willingness to compromise, and his persuasiveness helped diffuse confrontations and political crises in the lead up to the first presidential elections in June 1993.

1993 presidential election

Ideological splits within the MPRP led the party leadership to reject Ochirbat as their presidential candidate and instead nominate intelligentsia Lodongiin Tüdev, editor in chief of the party organ, Ünen (lit. "Truth"). Subsequently, the opposition coalition between the Mongolian National Democratic Party and Mongolian Social Democratic Party nominated Ochirbat as their joint presidential candidate.

On 6 June 1993, Ochirbat soundly defeated Tudev, winning 57.8 percent of the vote to become the first president ever elected by popular vote in Mongolian history.

President of Mongolia (1993–1997)

Ochirbat's term in office was beset by a series of political and economic crises. By the end of 1993, Ochirbat had become a harsh critic of government's failure to address the country's worsening economic situation. The country suffered food and energy shortages and high inflation. Ochirbat accused the government of not meeting its social welfare obligations. He was also critical of the Mongolian Intelligence services for failing to prevent the rise of transnational organised crime in Mongolia. He blamed over burdensome local and central bureaucracies for blocking faster economic improvement and called for reducing the overall size of the bureaucracy and speeding up privatization of government owned assets. By 1995 only 19.2% of economy had been privatised. He still was sceptical of privatization and thought it could hurt the poor.

When in March 1994 opposition parties withdrew from parliament, Ochirbat publicly called for a protection of the rights of the minority parties and accused the ruling MPRP of exploiting the media to their advantage by limiting press coverage of parliament. He also supported reforms to election law to open elections to all parties in advance of parliamentary elections in 1996. In 1994, he vetoed a parliamentary decree to promote Cyrillic script in Mongolia and delay introduction of classical script.

Foreign policy

In foreign affairs, Ochirbat called for a re-orientation of Mongolian foreign policy to broaden international cooperation with all nations, especially with Mongolia's neighbours China and Russia. Ochirbat was the first Mongolian leader ever to officially visit the United States as well as the first Mongolian head of state (as chairman of the presidium) in 30 years to visit Beijing, although relations with China suffered in autumn of 1995 when workers at the Mongolian embassy in Beijing discovered electronic bugs that had presumably been in place more than 10 years.

He rejected the transport and stationing of weapons of mass destruction in Mongolia, and declared the country a nuclear-free zone during the 47th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 1992.

In 1994, Ochirbat undertook official visits to South and Southeast Asia, signed cooperation agreements with India and Laos, and obtained financial assistance from Thailand to address the food shortage crisis. Later in 1997, he made official visits to Oceania, becoming the first president to visit Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand.

International trips as head of state

1997 presidential election

Ochirbat ran for a second term in the May 1997 presidential election, but faced a Mongolian public unhappy with the economic dislocation caused by the fast pace of reforms. The country was racked by high unemployment, 30 percent inflation, widespread shortages of foodstuffs and energy supplies and a falling GDP. According to the World Bank, one third of population was living in poverty.

Winning only 29 percent of the vote, Ochirbat lost the election to the chairman of the MPRP, Natsagiin Bagabandi, who had pledged to slow down the government's radical reforms.

Post-presidency

After the election, Ochirbat left Mongolian politics and founded the "Ochirbat Foundation", a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that focused on poverty alleviation and self-sufficiency, environmental, and education programs.

In 2000, he became Director of the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development at Mongolian University of Science and Technology.

On 24 June 2005, a presidential decree by outgoing president Natsagiin Bagabandi awarded Ochirbat the Order of Chinggis Khaan, the highest state honor of Mongolia, in recognition of his achievements and contributions as leader. The award was presented to Ochirbat, the first ever recipient, by newly elected president Nambaryn Enkhbayar in July. Upon receiving the award, Ochirbat expressed his gratitude to the Mongolian people for their support and resilience during a time of change.

On 28 September 2005, he was appointed Member of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia and re-appointed in 2010.

Personal life and death

Ochirbat was married to Sharavyn Tsevelmaa in Leningrad in 1965. They had two daughters, Ochirmaa and Oyumaa.

Ochirbat died on 17 January 2025, at the age of 82. He was survived by his wife, Tsevelmaa, and their two daughters. Following his death, on January 22, Mongolia’s then-incumbent sixth president, Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh, issued a decree declaring a period of national mourning from January 24 to January 25. During the period, national flags were flown at half-mast, and all public arts, sports, and cultural events were suspended.

The state funeral for the late president was held on the morning of January 24 at the Government Palace. Ochirbat buried at the Altan-Ölgii National Cemetery later that same day.