ULAN BATOR-On horseback, foot and motorcycle, Mongolians cast their ballots on Sunday in a tight race that will see the election of a government tasked with fighting inflation and tapping into huge mineral wealth.A poll showed the ruling Mongolian People's Democratic Party (MPRP) with a slight edge over the Democratic Party, but if neither wins a majority in the 76-seat parliament, or Great Hural, the smaller parties on the ballot could be the real power-brokers. "It's important that somebody who is capable of doing something, not just talking, is elected," said Enkhtaivan Saaral, 38, who like many Mongolians, herds goats and sheep on the country's rolling grasslands and lives in a round felt tent.He will travel on horseback to the nearest district centre to cast his ballot in the polls which opened at 7p.m. EDT and close at 10 a.m. EDT on Sunday.Political parties have pledged to curb inflation, which is at its highest level in more than a decade.Reliant on its giant neighbors Russia and China for fuel and food, Mongolia's inflation rose to 15.1 percent last year as international prices soared.But politicians themselves complain that cash promises made during campaigning aren't helping, if they aren't matched by fiscal reforms and new revenue sources. The country of rolling grasslands and vast deserts that is home about 3 million people, many of them nomadic herders, saw economic growth of 9.9 percent last year, but voters say they are starting to feel the pinch.
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As in the days of Noah....