Mongolia's parliament ousts PM Zandanshatar after four months

Mongolia’s parliament voted on Friday to remove Prime Minister Gombojav Zandanshatar, ousting him just four months after he took office and deepening a period of political turmoil that has unsettled the country’s economy and governance. Lawmakers cast 71 votes in favor of his dismissal, with 40 opposing, parliamentary figures showed. Zandanshatar will remain as acting prime minister until a successor is nominated and approved.

Lawmakers cited several grounds for the motion, including what they described as constitutional irregularities when Zandanshatar moved to appoint a new minister of justice and home affairs without seeking the legislature’s confirmation. The dismissal followed weeks of internal discord within the ruling Mongolian Peoples Party and debate over a recent change to minerals policy that would alter how royalties for coal and iron ore are calculated.

Zandanshatar, 55, a former banker and career politician who was confirmed as prime minister in June, defended his record in parliament ahead of the vote. He said his government was acting against the siphoning of national wealth and working to raise salaries for teachers and doctors. His appointment had followed the...