Mongolians vote in presidential election

MangoliaUlaanbaatar/Beijing  - Voting in the Mongolian presidential election began Sunday morning, with around 1.5 million registered voters heading to the country's 1,700 polling stations, according to news reports.

Voters will make the choice between incumbent Nambaryn Enkhbayar of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, and former prime minister Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of the Democratic Party, according to China-based news agency Xinhua.

Under Mongolia's multi-party system, a candidate must gain more than 50 per cent of the vote in order to be elected president, and the new head of state will serve a four-year term.

The presidential election comes after allegations of corruption and vote rigging tainted parliamentary elections last year, and sparked deadly riots in the capital Ulan Bator.

In attempts to try and ensure a scandal-free presidential election, monitoring video cameras have been installed in 300 polling stations and 49 foreign observers from countries including the U. S., Japan, South Korea and Russia are acting as election observers, Xinhua reported.

The polls will close at 10 pm local time. (dpa)