Polls have opened in Mongolia, for the first general election in four years.
Voters started queuing well before polling stations opened, many riding into villages on camel and horseback to cast their votes.
Mongolia's potential mineral wealth has been a campaign issue, with the two biggest parties both promising cash payments from big mining projects.
A recent survey suggested inflation had outstripped unemployment and corruption US Democrats to hold crunch talks ...
S Korean astronaut arrives at ISS ... as ordinary Mongolians' main concern.
More than 1,800 polling stations opened on Sunday morning. In towns they have been set up inside schools, libraries and gymnasiums.
In the remote countryside voting is taking place inside gers, tent-like structures that nomads use as a home.
The gers are visited by nomads, some of whom have ridden up to 30km on camel and horseback to cast their votes.
In the capital, Ulan Bator, many voters turned up to vote wearing the traditional deel, a silk cloak tied with a sash.
The BBC's Michael Kohn in Ulan Bator says that for Mongolians, elections are something of a national holiday and the General Election Committee is predicting a turnout of at least 70%.
The first voters at polling stations were honoured elders who were sent invitations by district officials to cast the first ballots of the day.
Voting will end on Sunday evening local time and the first results are expected on Monday morning.
(BBC)
<< Back