BEIJING, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Mongolia's prime minister has lost his position as head of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party to the party's secretary general in an election, local media said on Saturday.
Sanj Bayar was elected new MPRP chairman on Friday at the 25th party congress, defeating Prime Minister Miyeegombiin Enkhbold in a close vote. The congress opened on Monday to choose new leaders ahead of parliamentary elections next spring.
Mongolia's parliament, the Great Hural, is due to consider investment agreements reached between the government and Ivanhoe Mines , which plans to develop the giant Oyu Tolgoi copper project with its partner, Rio Tinto .
Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar is visiting the United States, where he received $285 million in aid through the Millenium Challenge program. Mongolia is one of the few nations to send troops to support the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
The MPRP, established in 1921, is Mongolia's largest party with more than 160,000 members and ruled while the landlocked country was a satellite of the Soviet Union.
It holds 39 seats in the 76-seat parliament and formed a coalition government after Enkhbold was elected prime minister in January 2006.
The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party has elected a new party leader during its 25th Congress over the weekend. Current leader, Prime Minister Miyeegombiin Enkhbold, was defeated by Sanj Bayar in a 377-289 vote. Bayar, the former secretary general of the MPRP, is expected to succeed Enkhbold as Prime Minister following a decision to unify the positions of the party chair and Prime Minister.