Censurerad i Kina

Meddelande till alla läsare:

Bloggen kommer under den kommande veckan inte att uppdateras då Kina har censurerat Blogspot. Läs istället bloggen på; http://brio.webblogg.se/ .

Dumheter!

Nu har media, t ex Expressen och Svenska Dagbladet, tagit upp drevet mot Wanja Lundby Wedin igen. Denna gång genom hennes make. Han jobbade fram till pensionen som ombudsman på IF Metall. Där blev han erbjuden avgångspension. När Metall och industriförbundet slogs ihop gjorde man sig ju av med en hel del personer. Kanske var han en av dessa. Det är inte ovanligt att facket lever som dom lär och erbjuder avgångspension i sådana situationer.

Efter detta fick han ett projektjobb hos en annan arbetsgivare, LO. De hade tagit över ett IT-projekt från IF Metall och han var den som kunde detta bäst då han jobbat med det. Hans fru deltog inte i beslutet att anställa honom.

Men hör! Han fick behålla sin pension från sin första arbetsgivare OCH fick lön från sin nya arbetsgivare! Ja, jisses. Hur kan detta få hända i Expressens och Svenska Dagbladets Sverige!?

När jag slutade på Unionen i höstas var det med ett avgångsvederlag uträknat på att jag jobbat sammanlagt 14 år i de båda förbund som bildade Unionen. Detta avgångsvederlag var avräkningsfritt, annars hade jag aldrig accepterat det. Själva tanken med att slippa avräkning om man får ett nytt jobb är ju att man skall få lite extra pengar. Det ingår i avtalet. Tre månader senare hade jag nytt jobb och därmed dubbel lön i 13 månader.

Om jag väljer att avstå min plats i turordningen mot att jag och arbetsgivaren träffar en överenskommelse så är det rimligt att vi avslutar alla mellanhavanden där och då. Jag vill inte ha något med dem att göra, de vill inte ha någon administration kring mig. Därav avräkningsfriheten. Jag vågar påstå, som jobbat som förhandlande ombudsman i många år, att detta är praxis när man "köper ut" folk.

Så vad är problemet med Lundby Wedins makes lön hos LO? Menar de två borgerliga tidningarna att han skulle jobbat gratis? Eller att hans f d arbetsgivare skulle konfiskerat hans pension? Jag vet arbetsgivare som först avgångspensionerat och sedan hyrt in samma person igen då behov funnits. Så var dock inte fallet här utan det rör sig om två olika arbetsgivare, inte ens samma koncern i lagens mening.

Jag börjar tröttna på tidningar som inte vet vem de bevakar (som Expressen som inte vet hur Wanja Lundby Wedin ser ut) och som blåser upp minsta lilla sak till orimliga proportioner bara för att deras kommentatorer och krönikörer skall få skriver "avgångsuppmaningar" till LO:s kvinnliga ordförande.

Last day in Mongolia

Tonight we are off for Shanghai after a rather short visit here in Mongolia. Too short. We would have prefered more time with friends and in this fantastic country but that will have to wait. Last night we had dinner at an Irish pub. As all Irish pubs in UB they don't serve Guinness, only Chinggis. I prefer the latter. So did the others. When we left we had had 24 Chinggis beer... Together with food I think it all costed around €50...

After a couple of Chinggis we started to discuss business. Hubby and I plan (or at least we did yesterday in the pub) to start importing stuff from Mongolia, both drinkable and eatable. However we need to find something to export. Maybe we could produce our own BabyBjörnish carrier. The Mongolians seem to need such things, as they tend to carry their children in their arms all the time, both men and women. (It already exists here, it's more a matter of habits, I believe.)

However, after my second trip to Mongolia (Hubby's been here eleven times he thinks) I start to get addicted... When I met him I couldn't understand all this fuss about Mongolia and found his storys rather tedious. Now I'll be just as tedious...

Om att välja

Most posts this week has been in English since they handle international issues. This one will be in Swedish though it refers to Mongolia. In the end I will do a short English summary, that is to be posted later, since I am off for a last night dinner with the friends right now.

Det senaste dygnet har jag deltagit som valobservatör i Mongoliet som just valt en ny president. Tillsammans med min man har jag bevakat detta och det senaste parlamentsvalet i Mongoliet som en del av hans forskningsprojekt om mongoliska val. För hans del är det femte valet.

Under söndagen den 24 maj besökte vi fem vallokaler i Ulaanbaatar och två i Zuunmod. Av dem i UB låg två i gerdistrikt (förorter där folk bor i små trähus eller den mongoliska geren, ett filttält med stark orange inredning). Här har vi sett gamla tanter och farbröder uppklädda i den traditionella delen, stapplande uppför branta trappor för att rösta. Ute i Zuunmod kom en gammal kvinna med snedställda fötter gående mot vallokalen på den gropiga grusvägen, stödd på endast två käppar. Inne i ett gerdistrikt var en ung kvinna rasande över att hennes man vägrats rösta pga att han inte fanns upptagen i röstlängden.

Överallt allvarliga människor i alla åldrar med påfallande många unga kvinnor. Att rösta är viktigt efter så många år under ryskt eller kinesiskt herravälde. Först 1993 hölls det första fria presidentvalet.

I natt satt vi inlåsta i en skola i UB tillsammans med tolv valfunktionärer och två politiska observatörer från de två partier som nominerat kandidater till presidentvalet, MPRP och MNDP. Sist till valurnorna var en ung kvinna i jeans och t-shirt. Då var klockan 21.58. Strax efter klockan 22.00 annonserades valdeltagandet. 87,8 procent hade röstat i denna valkrets. Något som möttes av applåder. Välförtjänta sådana.

Och jag kan känna en viss avund. Jag som bor i ett av världens rikaste länder och, än så länge, ett land med väl utbyggt välfärd. Här är jag i ett land som placerar sig kring plats nr 150 i BNP-listan ser jag ett demokratiskt ansvar som jag ibland saknar hemma. Maken har om och om igen intervjuats i mongolisk TV. I Mongoliet finns avsevärt mågna fler kanaler än hemma, där vi ju har SVT, TV4 och i viss mån TV3...

Det finns såklart skillnader mellan den nya demokratin Mongoliet och den gamla, Sverige. Här kommer några av dem.

A. Här förekommer såklart valfusk. Bl a är det svårt att helt kontrollera registreringsprocessen. Detta försöker man dock göra något om. I år hade scanningutrustning införts i vissa vallokaler för att kolla att ID-korten var äkta.

Hemma förekommer också valfusk. Men där får det inte ens någon uppmärksamhet trots att de utsatta partierna skriker sig hesa. Där väljer de etablerade partiernas företrädare i stället att koncentrera sig på HUR det avslöjats att valmyndighetens personal fuskat.

B. Här räcker det att ställa upp i val för att väljarna skall få samma möjlighet att rösta på ens parti eller en själv.

Hemma måste de små partierna ha tusentals valarbetare som ideellt kör ut valsedlar, som småpartierna själva får bekosta. Dessutom måste det göras varje dag eftersom valmyndighetens utsedda valarbetare slänger småpartiernas valsedlar vid dagens slut.

C. Och sist, men störst, här väljer folket sin statschef.

Hemma föds han (hon) till sitt ämbete genom att vara ättling till en greve av Pontecorvo.

Kanske är det dags för oss att kliva ner från våra höga hästar och

* GÅ OCH RÖSTA!

* SÄKRA VALPROCESSEN!

* INFÖRA REPUBLIK!

English summary
I have been observing the Mongolian presidential elections together with my husband who is making research on Mongolian elections. This was my second election and his fifth.

On election day Sunday 24 May we visited five election stations in Ulaanbaatar and two in Zuunmod. Of the five in UB two were located in ger districts. Everywhere we have seen very serious people of all ages voting. To vote is important after centuries of Russian and Chinese repression. Somehow I envy the Mongolians. I come from one of the most wealthy countries in the world. A, still, welfare state. Here in a country that places itself around position 150 on the GDP list I see a consciousness of the citizens democratic responsibilities that I somehow miss at home.

Hubby has been interviewed on Mongolian television over and over again about differences between Mongolia and Sweden. Here are three differences I can see:

A. Election fraud occurs in both Sweden and Mongolia. But in Mongolia the authorities try to deal with it, making the procedures better. In Sweden the authorities and older parties are ignoring that election fraud is committed by the election workers, concentrating on HOW this has been exposed (with a hidden camera), not WHAT has been exposed. If you ignore it it will go away seem to be their way of thinking. (Or maybe it suits them, the smaller parties being rivals.)

B. In Mongolia you just have to stand in an election and the voters have the possibility to vote for you by the same voting bill. In Sweden the small, new parties have to pay for the bills themselves and then drive around the whole country to get them out to the voting stations, where some election workers throw them away at the end of the day.

C. And at last, but the most important, in Mongolia the people elect their head of State. In Sweden the head of State is born into his/her position only if he/she is an descendant from a count (earl) of Pontecorvo who became King of Sweden in the 19th Century.

In Sweden we need to get a grip and

• VOTE!
• SECURE THE ELECTION PROCESS!
• CHANGE THE CONSTITUTION FROM MONARCHY TO REPUBLIC!

Waiting for Elbegdorj

Yesterday we happened to be at Ts Elbegdorj's constituency when he and his wife came there to vote. Somehow the whole media posse just happened to be there, too. The poor voters had to push their way to the voting boxes.

There we were standing among journalists and observers, waiting for God... sorry, Elbegdorj. (The other observers were not to be seen in any other constituencey during the day. Hubby says that he's never ever met any other obeserver during his five Mongolian elections. Especially not in the ger districts. With the exception of the Asian Foundation.)

Standing there waiting made med think of Samuel Beckett...

ESTRAGON: Charming spot. Inspiring prospects. Let's go.
VLADIMIR: We can't.
ESTRAGON: Why not?
VLADIMIR: We're waiting for Godot.
ESTRAGON: (despairingly). Ah! You're sure it was here?
VLADIMIR: What?
ESTRAGON: That we were to wait.

Yes, it was there. While waiting Hubby was interviewed by no less than five TV channels.

And then he arrived. Although it is not that easy to spot him since he is not the tallest man around. Here he's circling one of the candidates on the voting bill. Guess who?

Afterwards every journalist tried to get close to the man of the day. It was rather mad. Those who didn't get hold of him had to do with Hubby... ;)

And the result of the Mongolian jury...

If the far future of Mongolia is bright with kids like the two below the near future could face difficulties. Although I believe that the people voting for Elbegdorj sees just as bright a future. According to Reuters a win by Elbegdorj from the Mongolian National Democratic Party (MNDP) could complicate policymaking, e g on working with foreign investors to develop mining projects. This because of his track record of anti-foreign (except towards the US of course) and populist inclinations. This morning he marched out on Sukhbaataar Square and celebrated his victory at the foot of the Chinggis statue. Elbegdorj's supporters in Ulaanbaatar are problably happy though, for this change from the socialist Enkbayar of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party, MPRP. The MPRP do still have majority in the parliament, though.

Last time this situation occured it was Elbegdorj who was the prime minister and Bagabandi (MPRP) who was the president. Bagabandi, with his right to veto, managed to block every decision in parliament. The question is if Elbegdorj is man enough to turn the other cheek and become more constructive. And will the MPRP accept this or do as they did at the parliament elections before last, fight the current result in court? We do not believe that they will do as Elbegdorj did the last election, though, when his allegations of cheating led to riots. However, there may be constituencies that are unclear, the result is not yet final. What has happened this far is that Elbegdorj has pronounced himself the winner of the elections.

This year we sat through a vote count at Chingelteis constituency, no 6. It took all night. Instead of being finished at 2 o' clock, the (approx) 2 400 votes took hours to count, not to mention how long it took, four hours, to start counting the votes. The woman from the election committee was extreeemely thorough. When all votes were counted at 5 am she demanded a recount. One (1) vote was missing. Then we left and went back to the hotel to get some sleep having been there watching and taking photos for seven hours. In this constituency, a rather well off urban one, Elbegdorj seems to have won with 55 percent of the votes. We believe that this is not the result in ger districts (suburbs consisting of gers and small wooden houses, looking like shanty towns but being a way of still living in gers in the city). Or in the countryside. Here the MPRP is usually stronger. But this we have still to see.

Election day

Today is election day in Mongolia.

This is the future. A bright one.

Egenintresset hos de etablerade partierna ljuger aldrig

De etablerade partierna verkar inte tycka att det är ett problem att mindre partiers valsedlar slängs bort, göms eller att valfunktionärer meddelar väljare att de inte kan rösta på de partier som ställer upp i valet. I stället kritiserar man t ex att detta valfusk dokumenterats och offentliggjorts.

Herregud! Är det Miljöpartiets officiella ställning att det är ett problem att valfusk dokumenteras och offentliggörs? Vad tycker Miljöparitet om det valfusk som nu avslöjats? Vad tycker det andra partierna. Gudrun Schyman har också ställt sig denna fråga.

Miljöpartiet verkar historielösa. För inte så länge sedan stod de själva utanför riksdagen och försökte komma in. Blev förlöjligade och hånade. Stötte säkert också på problem med valsedlar som försvann. Men liksom egeninstresset inte ljuger så är minnet väldigt kort.

Nu vill vi gärna ha svar från riksdagspartierna och Junilistan hur de ser på det valfusk som avslöjats. Det är väl inte för mycket att begära av demokratiska partier?

Piqniq with Chinggis

Today we have been on piqniq with Chinggis, both in the form of Chinggis vodka and in the form of a 40 meter high stainless steel Chinggis on his horse. This is built on the steppe outside Ulaanbaatar and is the first part of a Chinggis Land that is to be built as a big tourist spot.

I felt a sadness that my father, the welder, isn't alive to see this. According to Hubby the welding job on the outside was an artwork.

So we went up in the horse's head. And got real close to the great Mongolian leader. (Although not as close as it may seem in this picture.)

Then we went down by the river Tuul for some snacks, beer and vodka. Tomorrow I'll try to post some more pictures but give you a little appetizer with Luya wrestling with Hubby. Even here my father, the old wrestler, would have been impressed. By Luya, of course...

Valfuskare in action

Svenska folket borde protestera mot valfusket genom att lägga sin röst på något av småpartierna, som Feministiskt initiativ och Piratpartiet. Bara som en markering mot detta horribla valfusk. Och mot ett DDR-liknande system...Ta er fem minuter och kolla hela inlägget. Nedan kan ni se gårdagens inlägg i Rapport med kommentar från Veronica Svärd om hur man gör för att rösta på Fi: Skriver FEMINISTISKT INITIATIV på en blank valsedel.

En valobservatörs betraktelser

(An English summary to follow below)

Du som vill göra DN:s partitest men reagerar över att tidningen utesluter ett enda av de partier som ställer upp i EU-valet. Här kan du se Fi:s svar på frågorna. Uppdatering: En person blev tyckte DN:s test var osäkert och gjorde eget test. Här kan man testa sina sympatier. Mina resultat ser ni nedan. De visar avvikelsen från partierna. :)

Om du kommer fram till att du skall rösta på Feministiskt initiativ så är det just detta namn du skall skriva på valsedeln:

FEMINISTISKT INITIATIV

Ingenting annat. Inget namn, ingen förkortning. Såvida det inte finns förtryckta valsedlar i vallokalen, men det är ju inte säkert att det gör då Sverige inte riktigt nått upp i samma demokratiska nivå som t ex Mongoliet eller Spanien. I Sverige är det nämligen bara de partier som har råd, eller som är tillräckligt stora enligt staten, som har möjlighet att få ut sina valsedlar till alla vallokaler. Känns det inte lite auktoritärt?

Här kan du läsa om varför man skall välja Fi i EU-valet.

Uppdatering: Även i vallokalerna förekommer det snudd på valfusk. D v s att funktionärerna inte talar om för folk hur de skall rösta på ett parti vars valsedlar inte finns i lokalen. Det skall dom veta. Ändå förekommer det alltså att man hänvisar till partiet i fråga (Feministiskt initiativ eller Piratpartiet).

Det är banne mig dags för Sverige att skippa systemet med egenfinansiering och egendistribution av valsedlar! Demokrati måste få kosta! Idag blev jag uppmanad av en partisekreterare att vara med på söndag när man skulle räkna röster för att se till att valfusk inte skulle förekomma i Mongoliet. Frågan är om vi skulle behöva valbevakare i Sverige för att se till att funktionärerna i vallokalerna gör sitt jobb.

Även Roya upprörs över tillståndt i demokratin Sverige...

Samtidigt som jag skrev detta har även Fi reagerat hemma i Sverige. Nu kräver Gudrun Schyman valobservatörer till Sverige!

IN ENGLISH

In Sweden people are denied to vote for the Feminist Initiative in the EUP election. The newpapers are covering all parties except the Feminist Initiative. Including a party, The Pirate Party, that got less votes than the Feminist Initiative in the last election. Those who, despite the refusal of the papers to write about the Feminist Initiative, know that Fi is taking part in the election has to go to the polling station and write the name of the party on a voting bill. This is because in Sweden parties have to pay for and deliver the voting bills themselves. That is if you're not a party of the parliament or a party that has gotten lots of votes in a previous election, then you get the bills paied by the state. But small, poor parties have to deliver the bills to the voting stations themselves.

This is the democracy Sweden in 2009.

When people arrive at the voting station and ask how to vote for Fi they should get the answer to write the party name on a blank bill. This is not always the case. Sometimes they get the answer from the election workers that it is not possible to vote for a party that hasn't got pre-printed bills. Sometimes people hide the voting bills in a corner where noone will see them. The same thing happened in the parliament election 2006. The election authorities obviously have done nothing to prevent this from happening again.

This is of course election fraud, something I am in Mongolia to prevent right now. Unfortunately the voting itself, at the voting stations, seems more secure in Mongolia, one of the poorest countries in the world, than in Sweden. This is why we need international election observers in Sweden.

---

Här kommer mitt resultat på testet ovan:

Feministiskt initiativ 10 %
Miljöpartiet 14 %
Vänsterpartiet 22 %
Junilistan 26 %
Socialdemokraterna 29 %
Kristdemokraterna 38 %
Piratpartiet 42 %
Moderaterna 43 %
Centern 46 %
Folkpartiet 49 %
Sverigedemokraterna 61 %

The Swedish Doctor

Hubby's been on TV tonight, dubbed into both Mongolian and Russian! A Russian channel (AIST Mongolia) interviewed him at the Foreign Office today. Since he was dubbed we do not know exactly what he said but the "Swedish doctor and expert on Mongolian elections" (I guess) says he thinks that he said something about the difference between Swedish and Mongolian elections.

Aaaarggghhhh!

I Solna finns ett område som jag skulle kunna döda för att få bo i. Har haft det på bevakning på Hemnet i åratal men det är ju inte direkt så att man flyttar från ett sådant hus... Nu är det dock någon som kan tänka sig att lämna mot sisådär en 6 miljoner och uppåt. Så om någon har denna summa liggande skräpande någonstans kan ni ju skänka den till lille mannen och mig.

/Dreglande anglofil i Vällingby

Tea at the Parliament House

Today we've visited the Foreign Office, the National Democratic Party's office and the Parliament House (also Government House). Real "statsvetarporr" as we call it in our family (literally: political scientists' porno), trying to explain the feeling of breathing the same air as those studied... ;)

The parliament building is quite something. First we have the outside on Sukhbaatar Square with its big statues of the three khans Chinggis, Ögdei and Kublaj. Then there is the inside with an amazing wowen red tapestry outside the floor of the Parliament House. It is a pity that tourists cannot enter just to have a look at this piece of artwork. I was quite stunned and did not even think of taking a photo. Entering the building held quite a ceremony at the security guard's desk. He was as professional as the personnel at the Riksdag in Stockholm, though and even saluted us on our way out.

In the House we met with an MP from the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), sister party of the Swedish Social Democrats. He had visited Sweden several times and regretted that the new Swedish government has decided not to give any development aid to Mongolia. Unfortunate since the projects where quite good according to Hubby. E g giving aid to Mongolian women's centers. (Something extremely urgent in Mongolia where increased unemployment and alcoholism among men leads to increased battering of women.)

We were offered the usual Mongolian toffees and freshly brewed tea in the MP's office. An office decorated with photos of party gatherings and, of course, Chinggis. Among other things (i e Hubby's research) we came to discuss an article in todays UB Post (who call themseleves "Mongolia's independent English news") where the following was written:

"Public opinion polls through media have consistently given a lead to Elbegdorj, who is hoping to become Mongolia's first democratic president."

Information-wise, the next president will be the fourth president of Mongolia since the first democratic presidential election in 1993.

- It is a problem when people believe that the NDP is the only democratic party of Mongolia,

said the MPRP MP. Yes, I guess that this feels tough for a party, such as the MPRP, that has been quite good at organising throughout the whole country, organising being the fundament of democracy.

And I think journalism leaves more to wish for considering the front page of UB Post this week... Of four articles three are either tributes to Elbegdorj or accusations against the other side. Elbegdorj is said to be the Obama of Mongolia (he IS a good speaker, something even his opponents admit)... The First Lady, Ms O Tsolmon, wife of president Enkbayar, is accused by a former minister of trade, who himself has fled the country facing accusations of fraud, to have put 1,3 billion dollars into the Credit Suisse bank. The headlines in UB Post read "Counting money, not votes".

On the other hand this may be an exception since I have understood most of the press and TV to be quite MPRP friendly. One of those channels interviewed Hubby today and we will be sitting here at 9 pm to watch.

Update: Hubby's been on TV tonight, dubbed into both Mongolian and Russian! A Russian channel (AIST Mongolia) interviewed him at the Foreign office today. Since he was dubbed we do not know exactly what he said but the "Swedish doctor and expert on Mongolian elections" (I guess) says he said something about the difference between Swedish and Mongolian elections.

Dinner with the candidates

Last night we had dinner at a new Korean restaurant here in UB with Luya, Dolgun and Bat-Erdene. Our cicerone Bat Erdene guaranteed it would be a good restaurant.

- It's new so it's good.

Obviously he was right. We were served raw meat and vegetables that we were supposed to cook in a bowl of soup with fire underneath the bowl. I have to admit it took a while before I understood that the meat was supposed to cook for quite long (getting quite rubbery). I just wanted to dip it in the warm soup to get it real succulent. Hubby, of course, tried to burn the restaurant down with flames reaching the roof from his heater... It was, however, delicious, when I got the cooking going...

On telly there was a debate between the two candidates in the presidential election on Sunday. The man from the National Democratic Party, Elbegdorj (left) is trying to take over from MPRP (the socialists), the president now in office, Enkbayar (right). The latter looked very statesmanlike and seemed to have clever spin doctors telling him what to say and what not to say.

The viewers had sent in questions that were drawn for the candidates to answer. Of course there was a question about July 1 last year when Elbegdorj, as the party leader of the Democratic Party, after loosing the parliament election, held a speech about election fraud puttin fire under the heated feelings. This lead to riots and hooligans burning down the MPRP building at Peace (!) Avenue. Elbegdorj yesterday said that he couldn't have known that this would happen when he held his quite agitated speech. I think that is quite representative to someone not aware of the impact his harsh words could have (and, obviously had).

Enkbayar on the other hand refrained from putting the blame on Elbegdorj. He said that this was a horrid time and the night of the riots they sat down and discussed what to do. But what could they do except from imprisoning those setting the MPRP building on fire and other rioters. (Later letting women and children go.) And to proclaim a national emergency. This is of course the right thing for him to say. He, as the president, got hold of the situation and made the best out of it. (Although there are people claiming the opposite.)

Below you can see a big poster with Enkbayar, the man of the people. Only that some of the people seem to have been photoshopped into the picture. Interesting that it seems to be people who are more prone to vote for the National Democratic Party (young urban men)...

Read also about the debate here.

Lunch at Millie's

A 27 500 lunch...

Breakfast at Bishrelts

Since last time we have abandoned Hubbys no 1 choice hotel, the Zaaluchuud. Mostly due to its poor breakfast. When you have to bring your own cheese to get at least some proteins on your toast it’s time for a change. Now we were hoping for a better treat at the Bishrelt.

In comes a plate with three kinds of bread (alla ordinary toast bread) and cake with icing, one slice of pre packed Edamer and jam. Not even butter. Since I really depend on getting a good breakfast with proteins the corners of my mouth went downwards. Until the garçon arrived with another plate filled with eggs, sausages and bacon. Hallelujah!

Now we have to get up from our siesta since the cleaning person wants to clean our room at half three in the afternoon...

Dags att rösta!

Vi får stilla oss tills vi kommer hem men ni som är kvar i Sverige kan redan nu gå och rösta. Om det inte finns några valsedlar med Feministiskt initiativ i vallokalen kan ni skriva

FEMINISTISKT INITIATIV

på en tom valsedel. Bara detta, inget annat. (Såvida ni tänker rösta på Feministiskt initiativ såklart.) Eftersom Fi i Sverige, till skillnad från t ex Fi i Spanien, får betala våra valsedlar själva och sedan distribuera dem själva, så kan det saknas sådana i vallokalerna.

Nu skall vi gå över till valkommittén här i Ulaanbaatar och lämna in våra foton för ackrediteringar till presidentvalet på söndag, så vi kommer in i vallokalen. Här får alla en valsedel med alla partinamn och sedan får de kryssa den de vill ha. Demokratin är kanske lite längre kommen i Mongoliet än i Sverige, i det hänseendet.

The eagles have landed!

Four countries in 28 hours... Feels like those Americans doing Scandinavia in one weekend. Only that we 've been travelling over half the world. Holland, China, South Korea and, finally Mongolia! When we finally saw Luya and his excellent driver in Chinggis Airport tonight it was pure joy. Now we're at our room at the Bishrelt hotel with both cable and wireless and the national elections committee next door. That's where we're going tomorrow to get our accreditations.

The trip here gave quite an insight into the fright of influenza... In Shanghai, descending from the plane, we were met by people looking like something from Star Trek, in white overalls and goggles and hoods. They were pointing some apparatus towards our forheads... Don't ask why. Landing in China, South Korea and Mongolia we've had to fill in forms that we do not cough, sneeze, have a bad throat or runny nose. In South Korea someone held a thingy behind our ears. The thingy said beep and that was obviously good since we were free to go... Should we get a cold here in Mongolia we have to contact the authorities before leaving...

Now it's soon 1 am here and I'm going to try out the bed, Mongolian style i e hard as brick to sleep on.

Schiphol Tuesday afternoon

Landed in Schiphol. The bartender at the bar next to the gate is curious about where we’re off to. He used to travel a lot in his younger days. He’s maybe in his 50s and looks like a man who has been around and about.

- When I was young I spent three passports in three years.

He tells us that there are two criteria when choosing a place of travel. Is there a university? Check! Is there a harbour? Check! If we meet these two criteria we could be sure that we’ll have a good time, since they make sure that interesting people, who speak different languages, are brought together and there will be a good night life.

Arriving here I had quite a shock when my credit card didn’t work. Five to three. (Swedish banks close at 3 pm.) I get on my mobile where I, luckily, have stored the number to my bank office. Ring, ring. Three to three my personal bank woman answers the phone.

- Hello Anna-Karin!

I had forgotten to untick the little box for not making it possible to use the card abroad.

- But I know your voice so I’ll fix it!

Lovely! That is what I call service. And for the first time in my life my quite odd voice has actually helped me!

So, soon we’re boarding the plane to Shanghai. Unfortunately they couldn’t check in the luggage all the way to Ulaanbaatar so we’ll have to recheck it in Shanghai… My blood pressure will be high by then… But first we’re looking forward to dinner somewhere over Eastern Europe.