Observers predict an enthusiastic turnout among the 1.34 million-strong electorate on the first Sunday in July. Experts note that the number of candidates for the 2000 election totals 660, a more than two-fold increase in the number of candidates in the 1996 vote. They will battle for 76 seats in the unicameral parliament. The last four years have witnessed explosive growth in the political sphere, and 24 officially registered parties will be competing in the elections. Twelve of the 24 parties have been founded since 1998.
Experts differ over the reason for the rapid expansion of political parties.
Some see the reason rooted in the ambitions of those politicians left outside the State Ih Hural in 1996. Others associate this phenomenon with the growing maturity of society in the course of a democratic development. The rapid increase in political options does not necessarily translate into a pending overhaul of the parliament s composition. The key players remain the old guard of the ruling coalition, along with the current main opposition. The most significant development this year is that the MNDP and MSDP will be competing separately.