POLITICAL PARTY INSTITUTIONALIZATION IN MONGOLIA: COMPETITIVENESS, INTERNAL DEMOCRACY, AND THE CHALLENGE OF POLICY- ORIENTED PARTIES

This article examines party institutionalization in Mongolia at the intersection of electoral competitiveness, internal democracy, financial transparency, and digital political culture. Rather than treating political parties only as strategic actors seeking office, this research conceptualizes them as representative institutions that organize participation, structure accountability, and mediate policy formation. The analysis combines party scholarship with empirical evidence from Mongolia’s 2023 revised Law on Political Parties, the 2024 parliamentary elections, party statutes, Supreme Court registration decisions, public opinion surveys, and selected digital transparency practices. The findings show that electoral competitiveness and institutionalization do not fully overlap. Parties with stronger electoral performance do not necessarily exhibit stronger internal democracy, clearer financial reporting, or more stable policy processes. Simultaneously, parties with more transparent rules and accountability structures may still have limited electoral reach. The article argues that digital political engagement alone is not sufficient evidence of institutional maturity unless it is linked to reporting practices, policy communication, and participatory mechanisms. The study proposes a two-dimensional framework for assessing Mongolian parties through competitiveness and institutionalization and concludes that the future of policy-oriented party development in Mongolia depends on strengthening internal democracy, transparent finance, member-policy linkages, and accountable digital communication.