Mongolia’s parliament confirmed the nomination of motorbike enthusiast Ukhnaa Khurelsukh as prime minister on Wednesday, putting the country back on track to receive funds from a $5.5 billion IMF economic rescue package, Voice of America reported. 

Ukhnaa Khurelsukh, a member of the ruling Mongolia People's Party, was unanimously elected to succeed Jargaltulga Erdenebat, who was ousted in early September amid corruption allegations.

The 49-year-old Khurelsukh is taking over a government that has undergone numerous changes in leadership since transitioning from a satellite state of the former Soviet Union to a full-fledged democracy in 1990. No prime minister has completed a full-four year term since 2000.

Best known as the birthplace of the Mongol emperor Genghis Khan, mineral-rich Mongolia is courted heavily by neighboring China, thanks to its growing demand for coal. The landlocked country is situated along the corridor of the Chinese-proposed “silk road,” an initiative China has sought to expand trade with other countries.

Source: MENA