Elbegdorj Tsakhia (, Cahiagín Elbegdorj ; also referred to as Mongolyin Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj and Tsakhia Elbegdorj; born 30 March 1963) is a Mongolian politician who served as President of Mongolia from 2009 to 2017. He previously served as Prime Minister in 1998 and again from 2004 to 2006. Elbegdorj was one of the key leaders of the 1990 Mongolian democratic revolution that ended 70 years of communist rule in Mongolia, and co-drafted the country's 1992 constitution that guaranteed democracy and a free market economy. Elbegdorj has been labeled by his supporters as a "freedom fighter" and the "Golden Sparrow of Democracy," alluding to a bird that comes with spring sunshine after a long, harsh winter. Elbegdorj is the founder of the Ardchilal (English: Democracy) newspaper – the country's first independent newspaper – and helped to establish the first independent television station in Mongolia. Currently, Elbegdorj is a member of The Elders (organization) - established by Nelson Mandela in 2007 - that works for peace, justice, human rights and a sustainable planet. Moreover, he is a member of Club de Madrid which commits to advancing democracy worldwide. In addition, Elbegdorj is a commissioner of International Commission Against Death Penalty. His tenure has focused on fighting corruption, environmental protection, women's rights, judicial reform, civic engagement, economic liberalization and privatization, property rights, and the abolition of the death penalty. Early life and education Elbegdorj was born into a nomadic herding family in Zereg sum, Khovd province, on 30 March 1963. He was the youngest of eight sons. Elbegdorj spent most of his early childhood herding livestock through the high mountains of Zereg sum. His father, Mongolyn Tsakhia, was a veteran of Mongolia's border conflict with the Empire of Japan that resulted in the 1939 Battle of Khalkhyn Gol. Elbegdorj finished the sum's eight-year school (Primary & middle school) in 1979. Afterwards, his family moved to Erdenet City, and he finished Erdenet's No. 1 ten-year school (High school) in 1981. Army and studies in the USSR In 1981–82, Elbegdorj worked in copper ore mining and processing plant Erdenet Concern (currently Erdenet Mining Corporation) as a machinist. In 1982, he was drafted into military service. For submitting poems to the army newspaper Ulaan Od (Red Star), which impressed army authorities, and heading a Revolutionary Youth Unit in the army, he was awarded with the possibility to study military journalism and Marxism–Leninism at the