Mongolia approves new PM Batbold

MONGOLIA: Mongolia's parliament on Thursday elected foreign minister Sukhbaatar Batbold as the resource-rich country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Sanjaa Bayar due to poor health.

Batbold, a diplomat and economist educated in Moscow and London, received 62 of 66 votes cast by lawmakers in the landlocked Asian nation, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

After the vote, Batbold who will surrender the foreign affairs portfolio he held for a year said he was looking forward to the challenge and would make the poor country's economic recovery his main focus.

"The economic crisis is not over," Batbold said. "The new government's priority will be to overcome the crisis."

He said his government would also focus on winning the battle against unemployment, noting that a slew of projects to develop Mongolia's rich natural resources would help create thousands of jobs.

Bayar, 53, stepped down earlier this week. Health Minister Sambuu Lambaa, cited by local media, said last month that Bayar was suffering from hepatitis C, which causes liver problems, and had sought treatment in South Korea.

Batbold, who was born in the capital Ulan Bator in 1963, previously served as deputy foreign minister and trade minister. He took over as foreign minister last year, when Bayar formed a new government following disputed elections.

But its rich deposits of copper, gold, uranium, silver and oil have caught the eye of foreign investors. ULAN BATOR, Friday, AFP