Founding and early years After the
1990 Democratic Revolution, Mongolia became a country with a
multi-party system. The democratic revolution transformed Mongolia from a
single-party communist state into a dynamic
representative democracy. Those who pioneered the democratic revolution established political parties such as the
Mongolian Democratic Party (MDP), the
Mongolian National Progress Party (MNPP), and the
Mongolian Social Democratic Party (MSDP) in early 1990 for Mongolia's
first multi-party election in July 1990. The opposition parties won around 8% of the seats in the upper house, the
People's Great Khural, and 38% in the new lower house, the
State Little Khural. The MDP and the MNPP were invited to a
unity government by the ex-communist and ruling
Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) in September 1990. After the June election, the MDP, the MNPP, the MUP, and the Mongolian Renaissance Party united to found the
Mongolian National Democratic Party (MNDP) in October 1992. Despite the electoral success, the democratic government would oversee four years of rampant party infighting, unstable governance, and economic slowdown. Between 1996 and 2000, there were a total of four different governments led by the DUC. The democratic opposition faced an
electoral wipeout in the
2000 parliamentary election, winning only a single seat in the State Great Khural. In contrast, the MPRP won a
supermajority of 72 seats. In the aftermath of the electoral defeat, five opposition political parties – the Mongolian National Democratic Party, the Mongolian Social Democratic Party, the Mongolian Democratic Party, the Mongolian Democratic Renaissance Party, and the Mongolian Religious Democratic Party – merged and established the Democratic Party of Mongolia on 6 December 2000, a date which commemorated the year 1206, when
Genghis Khan founded the
Mongol Empire.
Dambiin Dorligjav was elected the party's first chairman during the congress. The MDC won 34 seats in the
2004 parliamentary election; the MPRP won 36 seats. Neither party had the required majority to form a government. In August 2004,
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj was appointed prime minister of a
coalition government between the two parties. After the election, Enkhsaikhan was soon succeeded by
Radnaasümbereliin Gonchigdorj as party chairman in 2005. On 1 April 2006, a party convention elected
Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj as the party leader. Four candidates had run for the party leadership elections in the first round. Elbegdorj won 46% of the vote,
Erdeniin Bat-Uul won 40% and two other candidates won the rest. Without an absolute majority, a second ballot between the leading candidates resulted in Elbegdorj winning with 57.2% of the votes. On 30 August 2008, the National Consultative Committee of Democratic Party elected
Norovyn Altankhuyag as the new leader of the party.
2012–2016 In the
2012 parliamentary election, the party won 34 seats in the country's 76-seat unicameral legislature, which was only a handful short of the simple majority requirement to unilaterally govern the country. As such, the party teamed up with ex-president
Nambaryn Enkhbayar's
Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and their coalition partner,
Mongolian National Democratic Party, to form a government under
Norovyn Altankhuyag's premiership. The party's ascension to power coincided with a rapid economic boom largely attributed to the country's mining mega-projects, with
The Economist dubbing the country
Mine-golia. During its first two years in power, the government introduced a number of large-scale bonds, with the most significant ones being the Chinggis Bond and the
Samurai Bond to fund its ambitious infrastructure projects. Later in 2021, a parliamentary investigation into the
Development Bank of Mongolia found massive mismanagement and
favouritism in the loan selection process, prompting the country's anti-corruption agency to launch a full-scale investigation into Altankhuyag's involvement in the scandal. In 2014, DP lawmakers ousted Altankhuyag from the party leadership and the premiership, partly due to his failure to reach an agreement with
Rio Tinto, and appointed
Chimediin Saikhanbileg in a highly controversial move. In 2015, the
stagnation of the Chinese economic growth severely impacted Mongolia's economic prospects and damaged the mineral prices, which the country heavily relied on. The country went into an
economic recession, with the GDP shrinking by about 1%. In 2015, Prime Minister Saikhanbileg travelled to
Dubai to finance the
Oyu Tolgoi project and a struck a deal with
Rio Tinto and other investors, which was colloquially named the
Dubai Agreement. The investment agreement was heavily scrutinised both within and outside the party: Mongolia would not profit from the project at least until 2034.
Zandaakhuugiin Enkhbold, who was the Democratic
speaker of the parliament at that time, and a handful of other Democrats condemned the move. In 2016, just a few weeks before his end of term, Saikhanbileg's government relinquished its exclusive right to purchase the 49% stake in the
Erdenet mine, one of the most profitable projects in the country, when the Russian side decided to sell it – without any authorization from the parliament. Saikhanbileg hastily left the country when the country's anti-corruption agency started an investigation into him.
2016–2020 In the
2016 parliamentary election, the DP lost heavily, retaining only nine seats despite retaining 33% of the national vote. The following year, an internal congress elected
Sodnomzunduin Erdene as party chairman. Under his leadership, the DP sought to reorganize its structure, strengthen its grassroots branches, and improve candidate selection processes. In
2017, the party's nominee,
Khaltmaagiin Battulga, won the presidential election, giving the DP the presidency even though it remained a minority in parliament. During Erdene's tenure, the party positioned itself as the main opposition force, frequently criticizing the
Mongolian People's Party (MPP) government on issues such as economic management, transparency, and judicial independence. The DP also achieved modest gains in the 2020 local elections. However, in the
2020 parliamentary election, the party secured only 11 seats, leaving the MPP with another
supermajority. Party chairman Erdene had lost his own seat in the election.
2020–2024 After the 2020 election defeat, Erdene announced he was stepping down and transferred interim roles to MP-elect
Tsevegdorjyn Tuvaan, but he soon re-entered due to a leadership dispute that followed in the coming months. Tuvaan argued that internal rules required a proper party congress and challenged attempts to alter nomination procedures. The party would soon split on the matter of re-nominating incumbent president Battulga for the 2021 presidential election. By March 2021, the party had effectively split into pro and anti-Battulga camps, each led by different chairman-elects,
Odongiin Tsogtgerel and Mainbayaryn Tulgat. Neither of the two leaders was officially recognized by the
Supreme Court. Therefore, the inability of the DP to unite led to two different primaries being held and two different candidates being nominated. Former chairman and PM Norovyn Altankhuyag was nominated by all 11 Democratic MPs and the Tsogtgerel-led faction, whilst Erdene was nominated by the Tulgat-led faction. Despite divisions within the party, Erdene was formally nominated as the Democratic candidate in the
2021 presidential election, where he campaigned on a platform of democratic values, anti-corruption, and economic recovery. His nomination was accepted by the
General Election Commission (GEC). The supporters of Altankhuyag's nomination protested the GEC decision, and the Democratic MPs launched hunger strikes in
Sükhbaatar Square. The period from 2021 to 2023 was marked by parallel party structures supporting either Erdene or former president Battulga. In 2022, the Supreme Court's ruling in favour of the anti-Battulga faction effectively reaffirmed Erdene's authority until the party's next internal congress. He remained active in promoting democratic principles, maintaining international party contacts, and preparing the organisation for the 2024 election, before handing over leadership to former
Minister of Education and chairman-elect
Luvsannyamyn Gantömör in early 2023.
2024–Present In the
2024 parliamentary election, the DP gained 31 seats in the expanded parliament. The election also saw a new generation of DP candidates contest and win, like Tsenguun Saruulsaikhan, a 27 year old who became the youngest MP. The MPP gained only 6 seats and was left with a slim majority in the State Great Khural. Subsequently, on July 9, the DP, the MPP, and the smaller
HUN Party formed a
coalition government led by MPP chairman and then-Prime Minister
Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene. In June 2025, during the
2025 anti-Oyun-Erdene protests, PM Oyun-Erdene resigned after losing a
motion of no confidence in the State Great Khural. This led to the collapse of Oyun-Erdene's second tenure and the expulsion of the DP from the coalition government. On 31 August 2025, Gantömör resigned as party chairman, and the party's National Policy Committee elected party caucus leader and pro-business MP
Odongiin Tsogtgerel as the next chairman. On 9 January 2026, the Supreme Court officially registered the DP's changes to their charter, emblem, and flag during their August 2025 party congress. ==Election results==