State in Mongolia

The Constitution of Mongolia establishes democracy, justice, freedom, equality, national unity and the rule of law as core principles. Mongolia has one national state system rather than a federal division of sovereignty. Its territorial administration includes 21 aimags and Ulaanbaatar, followed by 330 soums and 9 capital-city districts. Bagh and khoroo are smaller local units. Local government combines elected self-government with state administration. The State Great Khural is Mongolia's one-chamber Parliament and the highest state authority. It alone makes laws, approves the state budget and exercises parliamentary control over the Government and the implementation of laws. The 2024–2028 legislature has 126 members: 78 elected from constituencies and 48 through proportional representation. Members serve four-year terms. In 2025, parliamentary work was organised through eight standing committees. Parliament also handles senior appointments, hearings, petitions and oversight of public bodies. The President is the head of state, chairs the National Security Council and serves as Supreme Commander. Constitutional powers include representing Mongolia internationally, appointing senior diplomatic officials, exercising a veto, granting pardons, deciding certain citizenship and asylum matters, and acting in relation to conscription, emergencies and martial law under the Constitution. The Government consists of the Prime Minister and ministers. The Prime Minister leads the Government and is accountable to Parliament. The Cabinet Secretariat coordinates government policy, personnel administration, monitoring and links between central and local administration. Ministries, regulatory agencies and implementing agencies carry out sector-specific public functions. Judicial power is independent. The Supreme Court is the highest court, while aimag and capital-city courts, soum and inter-soum courts, district courts and, where provided by law, specialised courts handle matters at different levels. The Judicial General Council and the Judicial Disciplinary Committee support judicial administration and accountability. The Constitutional Tsets has nine members serving six-year terms; Parliament, the President and the Supreme Court each nominate three members. It reviews constitutional disputes and the constitutionality of legal provisions. The Prosecutor General is appointed by the President after consultation with Parliament for a six-year term. Aimag and capital-city Khurals, soum and district Khurals, and Citizens' General Khurals in bagh and khoroo provide local representative functions. Governors operate at each level. The Prime Minister appoints aimag and capital-city Governors, higher Governors appoint soum and district Governors, and soum or district Governors appoint bagh or khoroo Governors. Khurals and Governors normally serve four-year terms. Parliament changes administrative boundaries and units on a Government proposal after the legally required citizen consultation. Local bodies handle functions such as development planning, local property, budgets, local taxes and fees, water, food and agriculture, housing and utilities, public transport, roads, waste, cemeteries, pastureland and the maintenance of local education, health and cultural property. The precise responsibility depends on the administrative level. A state function can be delegated only under a law, a public-law agreement and corresponding funding. The Civil Service Law divides public service into political service, state administration, state special service and state support service. The core civil service consists of state administration and state special service. Merit, professionalism, continuity, transparency, political neutrality for non-political positions, equal access and avoidance of conflicts of interest guide public employment. The e-Mongolia platform and gov.mn provide central digital access to public services, with more than 900 services listed on the portal. Access depends on the service and identity requirements. Foreign nationals can use immigration services and the foreigner portal where available. Local offices remain relevant when a service depends on an aimag, soum, district or khoroo record. Public information is available to individuals and legal entities. Government bodies may publish open information electronically without an application, and a request may also be made orally or in writing. Restricted information requires a written request and remains subject to rules on state secrets, official secrets, personal data and other legal limits. Public bodies must disclose information about their functions, organisation, personnel, budgets, finances, procurement, reports and audit or monitoring results. They must update changed information within three working days. Complaints about open-data handling generally have a ten-working-day period under the applicable rules. Mongolia's integrated public budget includes the state budget, local budgets, the National Wealth or Future Heritage Fund terminology used in current legal sources, the Social Insurance Fund and the Health Insurance Fund. Parliament approves the state budget, while aimag, capital-city, soum and district bodies approve their respective local budgets. Revenue comes from taxes, non-tax revenue, transfers and other legal sources. The fiscal year runs from 1 January to 31 December. A soum or district Governor prepares the local budget draft by 10 December, and the relevant Khural approves it by 20 December. Fiscal-stability rules address debt, budget stability and the saving or investment of mineral revenues. The Glass Account system publishes budget, procurement and state-property information. Taxes, fees, service charges and local payments have separate legal bases, so Mongolia has no single general fee for access to the State. Oversight is distributed among several bodies. Parliament and its committees monitor laws, resolutions, budgets and Government performance. The National Audit Office audits state and local budgets, public performance, development policy and fund use. The Fiscal Stability Council reports on fiscal matters. The Financial Regulatory Commission and the Bank of Mongolia supervise relevant financial and monetary areas. The Government Authority for Government Supervision examines legality, discipline and service accessibility in ministries, agencies, Governors' offices and public entities. The Independent Authority Against Corruption handles prevention, education, complaints, asset and income declarations, inquiry and investigation. The National Human Rights Commission receives complaints, conducts inquiries and monitors human rights. Courts provide judicial remedies, while the Constitutional Tsets provides constitutional review. Freedom of expression, information, media, religion and association are constitutionally protected, and censorship is prohibited. The Law on Transparency of Public Information follows an open-by-default approach subject to lawful restrictions. Broadcasting law covers public and commercial broadcasting, competition and ownership transparency, while public radio and television have a separate legal basis. Public participation can take place through parliamentary hearings, D-Urgudul electronic petitions, public budget consultations, gov.mn feedback and the 11-11 Government contact channel. Mongolian is the official language. Public offices have been introducing Cyrillic and the traditional Mongolian script together step by step since 1 January 2025. State security functions include national security coordination by the President-led National Security Council, defence policy and the Armed Forces under the Ministry of Defence and General Staff, border protection, policing, intelligence, special protection and emergency management. The National Police Agency handles crime, public order and public safety. The General Intelligence Agency deals with foreign, border and counterintelligence matters and protection of state secrets. The General Authority for Border Protection manages the land and water border, border rules and checks involving passengers and vehicles; the Air Force handles the air border. The National Emergency Management Agency manages disasters, fires and other emergencies. Security information and some budgets may be exempt from ordinary transparency rules, but coercive and intelligence powers remain subject to law, oversight and human-rights limits. People have equal protection before the law and courts, access to public services and information, and rights to petition, complain and seek administrative or judicial remedies. They must obey the Constitution and laws, respect other people's rights, pay taxes and comply with legally defined duties relating to national security, public order and military service. Public officials must act transparently, follow merit rules, disclose relevant conflicts of interest and remain accountable. The practical authority, procedure, cost and processing time depend on the responsible institution and the specific service.