Mongolia has appointed a new speaker of parliament, signalling a leadership shift within the ruling Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) as it works to ease tensions following a contentious autumn session.

Uchral Nyam-Osor was approved with 82.5% support late last week, according to the legislature’s official website. He succeeds Dashzegve Amarbayasgalan, who resigned in October amid a power struggle with Prime Minister Zandanshatar Gombojav.

Seen as a fresh face for the MPP, Uchral was elected party leader earlier this month. Party members have rallied around his relatively clean record as they try to move past internal rifts and corruption allegations.

Uchral now has an opportunity to unify the party’s competing factions and restore public trust. Julian Dierkes, a Mongolia expert at the University of Mannheim, says the opposition could gain ground if he fails.

“If infighting continues relatively publicly in the party and in parliament, surely that represents an opportunity for the Democratic Party and other opposition parties,” Dierkes said.

While the ruling party leader often doubles as prime minister, the practice is not always followed. Amar Adiya, publisher of the Mongolia Weekly newsletter, says the MPP wants stability and sees Zandanshatar remaining as head of government as part of that strategy.

“Zandanshatar will likely become the MPP presidential candidate [in 2027], and Uchral can assume the premiership. Of course, this is not set in stone; it all depends on multiple factors,” Amar said.

Amar describes Uchral as a “next-generation MPP figure” with pro-business views and close ties to both Zandanshatar and President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa.

Uchral, who holds an MBA from the University of Gloucestershire in the UK, has served in parliament since 2016 and has a background in digital policy. His role in developing the e-Mongolia platform, an online portal for government services, is seen as an asset as the country pursues further digitisation.

“His rise was choreographed; every heavyweight who could have challenged him [for the party leadership] stayed out because the elders wanted a ‘clean’ frontman,” Amar said. “His victory was technically an election but functionally a coronation.”

Supporters say Uchral’s elevation could help reassure investors unsettled by recent turmoil.

In June, Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene resigned amid public protests after revelations that his son had been giving away lavish gifts. In October, Zandanshatar was ousted in a parliamentary vote after a dispute with Amarbayasgalan, but he was then able to stay in power after the Constitutional Court ruled the dismissal illegal. The former speaker is also under investigation for corruption tied to a coal-mining operation.

“If Uchral keeps the party from sliding back into chaos, Mongolia’s economic and political trajectory becomes more stable, more forward-looking, and finally capable of sustained reform rather than episodic bursts,” said Amar.