Security tight in Mongolian capital

Updated July 2, 2008 22:34:13

The protesters took to the streets of the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator. [ABC News]

Heavily armed soldiers are roaming the streets of Mongolia's capital, Ulan Bator, to prevent further violence in the wake of weekend elections.

The government has imposed a four-day state of emergency in the capital after protests over alleged vote-rigging left five people dead.

The government says it will stop further unrest after Tuesday's upheaval, when around 8,000 people stormed through the centre of the city, destroying buildings, torching cars and pelting police with rocks.

The nation's justice minister says five people were killed and 329 people injured in the protests.

The unrest began after the former communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party claimed victory in Sunday's national elections over the Democratic Party, with which it had shared an uneasy coalition since 2004.

Election result

Mongolia's election committee has yet to give the final result of Sunday's vote, but preliminary results give the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) a clear majority in the 76-seat parliament.

The General Election Committee of Mongolia has vowed to press on with vote-counting.

The leader of the opposition Democratic Party Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj has rejected the results, but international observers say that overall the election was free and fair.

The US embassy in Ulan Bator says it is "deeply concerned" by the violence and has called for both parties to work together.

Analysts and foreign business executives in Mongolia have downplayed the violence, saying it was not supported by the majority of Mongolians and are describing it as teething troubles for a young democracy.