Mongolia's ruling party registered a resounding victory at the general elections to remain in power for another term, results showed overnight. The Mongolian People's Party (MPP) won 62 out of the 76 seats in the parliament.

Prime Minister Khurelsukh Ukhnaa will retain his leadership of the government, which will be Mongolia's 17th parliament in nearly 30 years of democracy. A new constitution was adopted in 1992 after Communist rule was ended in 1990.

The main opposition in the house — the Democratic Party — won 11 seats, while the rest were taken by coalitions and independent candidates, according to the General Election Commission.

The country went to polls on Wednesday with a voter turnout of close to 73%. The capital city of Ulaanbaatar, where close to half of Mongolia's population is based, saw people lining up to vote while maintaining a distance of 2 meters (6.5 feet). Temperature checks were carried out inside the stations as election workers distributed hand sanitizer.

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Sandwiched between Russia and China, the vast landlocked country's coronavirus response has been considered a success with just 215 infections, all of which were imported. No deaths have been reported.

Instead, an economic downturn, unemployment and corruption were the dominant concerns ahead of the election.

see/rc (Reuters, AP)