Calm returns to Mongolia after post-election riots

Updated July 3, 2008 17:52:55

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

Calm has returned to the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator after rioting in the wake of election fraud allegations left five dead, but there is still no official result from the weekend's parliamentary polls.

The violence has dampened hopes for a period of stable government to develop the mining sector and tackle inflation in the vast but thinly populated country, strategically sandwiched between China and Russia.

A curfew has been imposed in Ulan Bator, although the situation on the streets appears to have returned to normal following the violence, in which protesters clashed with police and set fire to the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) headquarters.

The General Election Committee announced preliminary results on national television, but it did not say specifically to which parties the winners belonged.

International observers say overall the election was free and fair, but new election rules have led to procedural problems and some confusion over counting.

President Nambaryn Enkhbayar declared a four-day state of emergency late on Tuesday after the protests.

The emergency rule - the first in Mongolia's history - means protests are banned and security forces can use tear gas and rubber bullets to break up demonstrations.