Mongolia's prime minister resigns amid protests over reports of son's lavish spending

Mongolia's prime minister resigned early Tuesday after he failed to receive enough support in a vote of confidence in parliament, Mongolian media reported.

WASHINGTON — Mongolia’s prime minister resigned early Tuesday after he failed to receive enough support in a vote of confidence in parliament, Mongolian media reported. The country’s embassy in Washington confirmed it.

Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai received 44 votes, well short of the 64 needed, according to news site ikon.mn.

The vote followed weeks of protests set off by reports of lavish spending by the prime minister's son. Some called for the prime minister to step down.

Before the vote, Oyun-Erdene warned that the vote could lead to instability and shake Mongolia’s fledgling democracy.

“If governance becomes unstable, the economic situation deteriorates, and political parties cannot come to consensus. It could lead the public to lose faith in parliamentary rule and potentially put our democratic parliamentary system at risk of collapse,” he said.