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Remarks of Ambassador Richard L. Buangan at the U.S. Election Watch Party Event www.mn.usembassy.gov

Thank you for coming tonight. It’s a great privilege to see so many people coming out to share with us this very exciting morning. Are you all as excited as I am? I am too, but you know, I am just looking at the returns. There are still a lot of states that have yet to be called and projected by the media, and unfortunately our event is going to be ending in about 15 minutes. I wanted to talk to you about what to expect next, and then we’ll turn these screens back on so you can watch the remainder of the feeds until the hotel kicks us out.

I have a couple of people I wanted to thank, who made this possible. First and foremost, we have Mongolian companies who supported us, to make this event possible. Thank you very much to all our supporters and sponsors. Without your resources, both financial and in-kind, this event could not have happened. Second, I wanted to thank my incredible embassy team who worked day and night to put this together. We were here yesterday night, my colleagues were here until eleven o’clock, midnight, to set this up. Lori, who was in charge of this event, our vice consul; Moulik, our public affairs officer, and their teams, our management teams, GSO (General Services Office), facilities, our security, who helped staff this event. It’s incredible to see my colleagues come together and create this magic, to create this experience for you all, and I’m so honored to working alongside you all.

I also want to thank our six Mongolian panelists and the moderators for their time and insights that they shared regarding the U.S. elections from the Mongolian perspective. And I also want to thank Mongolian journalist Altangerel who joined us live from Philadelphia to share with us what he was experiencing. It’s terrific to see so many people in the back, learning from these experts, to learn about the American election process through Mongolian eyes.

What you’re seeing unfold behind me on the screens is excitement, it’s nervousness, it’s loud, it’s noisy, and that’s quintessential, typical democracies in action. Voting, as I say many times, is the highest expression that free people can do. And it’s such an honor to be joined by other countries here who are democracies. Not just Mongolia, but my colleagues in the diplomatic corps representing countries who have also experienced elections of their own this year. What you’re seeing behind me on the screen tonight, it’s intimidating, it’s nerve-wracking. But it’s open, it’s transparent, it’s for all the world to see. And we’re very privileged to bring this to you tonight so you can experience it live and first-hand.

The power to vote is sacred. Not every country experiences it— we’re proud that Mongolia does. But in the United States the power to vote is something people have fought and died for. Our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, our law enforcement officers, our journalists have all fought and died for it, so Americans like myself and my colleagues, would be able to vote and to continue to vote. So that’s why this moment is very special for the Americans in this room. Because regardless of who wins, our democracy is strong, our democracy will continue, and the people who fought and died for it will not have died in vain.

So, what happens next? Because as we’re seeing John King from CNN there talking about the state of Georgia, and North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, I don’t think that these states will be decided in the next hour. So, we’re going to continue watching. And I hope that when you all leave today you will continue to follow the American electoral process as it unfolds. But it could be decided later today, the media, some media, may project these key swing states later tonight, but unfortunately, it’s going to have to wait as these votes are still counted.

So today we have our election day. As you can see, the votes are being counted. But there are other dates that I wanted to share with you that will also be significant. On December 17, the Electoral College will meet. The Electoral College, as you know, are the people who actually vote for president of the United States. There are 538 members of the Electoral College, and they will all gather in their respective state capitals to cast their vote. And their ballots will then be the actual votes for president and vice president of the United States.

In January when the new Congress meets on January 3, all of the votes of the Electoral College will then be brought to Washington. On January 6, 2025, the electoral votes will be opened in front of the new Congress and they will be counted in person. And then on January 20, the new president of the United States will be inaugurated. There will be a new president, and there will be new members of the Cabinet. We are already undergoing this process of transition for the United States government.

I want to say one last thing about the U.S.-Mongolia relationship because this is a question that I’ve gotten repeatedly when I was doing media interviews today. I just wanted to share that answer, what the election means for the U.S.-Mongolia relationship. The U.S.-Mongolia relationship has grown over the last 37 years, since the establishment of diplomatic relations. It has been strong throughout presidential administrations, both Democratic and Republican. My belief is that whoever the next president is, the U.S.-Mongolia relationship will continue to be strong, and it will continue to grow.

And the United States has always enjoyed a very close relationship with other democracies. Mongolia is a very strong democracy. You just went through elections of your own in the last couple of months. I know that the U.S.-Mongolia relationship is strong because our two democracies share a common bond. And irrespective of the winner we will always be committed to democracies around the Indo-Pacific, especially, Mongolia.

So thank you all again for coming today. This is a very special morning for us. Thank you for being just as excited and energetic about this as we, with my fellow Americans are, in this room. I want to thank my fellow Americans who have come tonight to show their support for our democratic process, my colleagues in the diplomatic corps, and all of us who have supported Mongolia’s democracy. Thank you very much from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you.

Published Date:2024-11-07

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Events

Remarks of Ambassador Richard L. Buangan at the U.S. Election Watch Party Event www.mn.usembassy.gov

Events

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