MOSCOW 

Mongolia's parliamentary elections voting began on Friday, with President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh urging citizens to exercise their right to vote more actively.

As of 1 p.m. local time (0500GMT), more than a third of voters had cast their ballots, according to the Mongolian Central Election Commission.

The turnout at the midpoint of the voting day was 31.5%, or 653,000 out of 2.63 million registered voters. This represents an increase in activity compared to the last parliamentary elections held in 2020, when the turnout was 28.8%.

The commission noted that older voters over the age of 70 were the most active voters in the morning.

This year, 1,336 candidates representing 21 political parties and coalitions are vying for 126 seats in the Mongolian parliament, or Khural.

Last year, Mongolia passed an amendment to its national constitution that increased the number of seats to 126 to better reflect the country's political diversity.

This year, 39% of the candidates are women, the highest percentage in Mongolia's history. A 30% quota has been set for women, and it is planned to be increased to 40% by 2028.

Mongolians living abroad will also be able to vote in the election, with over 13,000 of them registered to vote this year.

Thanks to the automatic "black box" voting system, the Central Election Commission will announce the first unofficial results shortly after the polls close.