A political power struggle could bring down Mongolia's coalition government today as parliament considers whether to accept a number of ministerial resignations.
The majority Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), which ruled the country for much of the 20th century as a Soviet satellite, made a bid to regain control yesterday when more than half the cabinet, all from the MPRP, resigned.
The crisis erupted over complaints of slow economic growth since Prime Minister Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj was elected in 2004, but some have speculated the MPRP move is linked to investigations into government corruption.
However, Western diplomats say the charge may be a political manoeuvre; in last year's presidential elections, corruption appeared high on many voters' lists of concerns.
But economic growth in a nation where 35 per cent of the population of a country the size of Western Europe lives below the poverty line is of equal concern.
If the parliament, the Great Hural, accepts the resignations, it will effectively spell the end of the government of the mineral-rich country landlocked between Russia and China.
The MPRP, which holds half the parliament's 76 seats, has said it wants to form a new government in co-operation with other parties. It will need a majority of support in the Great Hural to do so.
The Democrats and a few smaller parties had vowed not to participate in an MPRP-led government, Mongolian television reported. People opposing the MPRP's move are planning a protest in the capital, Ulan Bator, ahead of the parliament vote.
Mongolia has been one of the most stable countries in Central Asia since emerging from decades of Soviet influence and holding its first free elections in 1990.