Sanjaasuregiin Zorig was the leader of a successful democratic movement in Mongolia in 1990. On October 2, 1998, at the age of thirty-six, he was stabbed and axed to death in his apartment in Ulan Bator. At the time of his death, the Mongolian government was in a deadlock.

For the past four months, the president and Parliament had been attempting to appoint a new prime minister. It had been over three months since the last prime minister, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdor, had been forced to resign. Four potential candidates had already been advanced since Elbegdorj's July resignation, but none had garnered support from both the Parliament and the president.

The Parliament was controlled by the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC). The president belonged to the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP), a group of (former) communists.

It seemed that Zorig, despite his efforts to overthrow communism in 1990, was well-like by members of both parties. Word surfaced at the beginning of October that Zorig was going to be the next nominee for the prime minister opening. Moreover, despite his DUC affiliation, he had apparently secure the president's approval. These rumors surfaced on October 2. Later that night, Zorig was murdered. Neither parties will address whether the crime was politically motivated. Nobody has been arrested in the stabbing.