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Mongolia under state of emergency
Mongolia has declared a four-day state of emergency after thousands of people staged a violent protest against elections they say were rigged by the ruling party.
Shots were heard as troops moved into the capital Ulaan Baator late on Tuesday, in an attempt to to bring the unrest under control as a curfew came into force.
Police had earlier fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds after rescue workers were pelted with stones.
The headquarters of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) was set on fire and opposition supporters pushed into the election commission offices.
Some rioters looted paintings from an art gallery and televisions from government offices. Others vandalised cars parked on downtown streets.
"From 11:30 pm [15:30 GMT] on Tuesday there will be a four-day state of emergency," an announcement from the president said.
According to national television, a curfew began at 10pm and anyone on the streets after that time without documentation would be arrested.
The crowds reportedly thinned after the president's declaration, which permitted police to use force in dealing with the protesters.
"Police will use necessary force to crack down on criminals who are looting private and government property," Munkhorgil, the minister of justice and home affairs, said.
Dozens injured
Up to 30 police officers and 25 civilians have been injured and hospitalised, according to television reports citing local goverment and hospital officials.
"The demonstrators are acting like hooligans and violating social order," Sainbayar, a police spokesman, said.
The protest by an estimated 6,000 people in the capital Ulaan Baatofr began peacefully but by evening there was reportedly unrest in several areas of the city.
"The people have come here to fight for their freedom," one protester told the AFP news agency.
Journalist Irja Halasz told Al Jazeera that the rioters had prevented firefighters from reaching the burning MPRP building.
"The police have withdrawn their lines back because of the rioters throwing a lot of stones, and at this point it looks like no one is in control," she reported from the building next to the headquarters.
'Unacceptable results'
The Democratic Party, led by Tsakhia Elbegdorj, has accused the MPRP of stealing Sunday's vote.
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| Up to 30 police officers and 25 civilians were reportedly injured [EPA] |
The General Election Committee has yet to make a formal announcement on the ballot.
"We do not accept these results," Elbegdorj told a news conference earlier on Tuesday.
"No one needs these kinds of results, and they will be corrected in accordance with law."
Protesters at the election commission demanded that the body's officials resign over voting irregularities and fraud.
International observers say that overall the election was free and fair, but new election rules that changed the first-past-the-post system to one of multi-member constituencies have led to procedural problems and confusion.
'Free and fair'
Sanjagiin Bayar, the prime minister, called for calm in a televised address from inside the party headquarters before the fires were started.
"The other party [the Democrats] is accusing us of buying the election, it's not true, the election was free and fair. We now request that everyone should stop this chaotic protest immediately," Bayar said on local Eagle Television.
"Elbegdorj made a false announcement and he is misleading people and inciting violence."
The officially neutral Enkhbayar - previously an MPRP member - held an emergency national security meeting with Bayar and all the opposition party leaders.
At the meeting broadcast live on the privately-run Eagle television, Bayar renewed his calls for restraint while blaming the Democrats for inciting the rioters.
Mongolian president declares state of Emergency
ULAN BATOR: Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared a four-day state of Emergency as protesters went on the rampage in the capital claiming that weekend elections were rigged.
"From 11:30pm (Local time) there will be a four-day state of emergency," said a presidential decree read out on state television.
The decree warned that anyone caught on the streets after the curfew without documentation would be arrested. Public gatherings and independent media broadcasts were also banned.
The action came after thousands of people took to the streets of the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator to voice their outrage at weekend elections they claim were rigged.
The headquarters of the former communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) in the centre of Ulan Bator was set alight and looted, according witnesses at the scene.
Some of an estimated 6,000 protesters from the rival Democratic Party -- which claims the MPRP bought votes and used other tactics to win Sunday's election -- threw rocks at firefighters arriving to put out the blaze.
Police responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas but the clashes continued and the violence later spread to other parts of the capital.
A police station was attacked when protesters attempted to free rioters imprisoned earlier in the day.
Part of the Cultural Palace, which contains an art gallery, a museum and a theatre, was on fire early today as violence continued despite the emergency decree.
TV images showed riot police around the Cultural Palace apparently arresting people and firing rubber bullets in an attempt to secure the area. Later images appeared to show the situation was calmer.
Mongolian Capital in State of Emergency After Vote
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=5282600
Mongolian president declares state of emergency after post-election violence rocks capital
The president declared a four-day state of emergency in Mongolia's capital early Wednesday after protesters stormed the headquarters of the ruling party, alleging fraud in weekend parliamentary elections.
President Nambaryn Enkhbayar's decree allowed police to use force in dealing with the thousands of rock-throwing protesters who thronged the headquarters of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party and set it on fire. The crowd had not dispersed despite repeated volleys of tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons.
"Police will use necessary force to crack down on criminals who are looting private and government property," said Munkhorgil, the minister of justice and home affairs, who like some Mongolians goes by one name. Ulan Bator was also placed under a 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew, he said.
The crowd thinned slightly after the emergency declaration, though some protesters had begun looting paintings from an art gallery and televisions from government offices. Others vandalized parked cars.
Enkhbayar, a ruling party member, acknowledged the protesters' complaints over results of the election — centered on how to share the country's mineral wealth — but appealed for calm.
"Let's sit down and solve the election fraud," he said on national TV.
Mongolia, a mostly poor nation sandwiched between China and Russia, is struggling to modernize its nomadic, agriculture-based economy. According to the government, the per capita income is just $1,500 a year in the country of about 3 million people spread across an area the size of Alaska.
The two main political parties focused their campaigns on how to tap recently discovered mineral deposits — including copper, gold and coal — but disagreed over whether the government or private sector should hold a majority stake.
The difference meant the outgoing parliament was unable to pass an amendment to the Minerals Law, which kept the government from concluding investment agreements with international mining giants to develop mineral deposits in the Gobi Desert.
The existing law gives the government the right to take up to a 50 percent interest in an important mineral deposit if state funds were used to discover it.
The proposed change would give Mongolia a minimum 51 percent stake. But while the ruling party wants the government to hold that stake, the Mongolian Democratic Party says private Mongolian companies should be able to hold it.
Tuesday's clashes far surpass the usual minor violence that has often accompanied elections in the 18 years since Mongolia cast off communist rule for democracy. Police seemed unprepared to deal with the crowd, who trampled one police officer, apparently leaving him badly injured.
Police spokesman Sainbayar said 26 police officers were hospitalized and one was blinded. An additional 30 or 40 people were also taken to hospitals with various injuries, he said. A Japanese journalist was seriously injured with a head wound.
Complaints of election fraud originally centered on two districts in Ulan Bator that were awarded to the ruling party, but contested by two popular members of the Civic Movement party. Following that, protesters called the entire election into question, with opposition Democrats saying that their party, not the MPRP, won the poll.
Some protesters pushed into the General Election Commission offices to demand that officials resign over voting irregularities and fraud. The commission defended the vote, but at least one party called for a recount in some districts of Ulan Bator.
"The Mongolian people voted for democracy and not for the MPRP, who are ex-communists," said Magnai Otgonjargal, vice chairman of the Civic Movement party.
According to preliminary results, the MPRP — which also governed the country when it was a Soviet satellite — won 46 seats in Sunday's vote. That would give the party far more than half of the 76 seats in parliament, called the State Great Khural.
The other major party, the Mongolian Democratic Party, took 26 seats. An independent won one seat and a minor party another. Results in two other seats were not yet clear. The election commission has until July 10 to announce the final results.
Mongolia election clashes bring emergency rule
Wednesday, July 2, 2008; 2:54 AM
ULAN BATOR (Reuters) - Five people were killed and more than 300 injured in a riot in Mongolia's capital among people alleging fraud in a weekend election, the country's justice minister said on Wednesday.
President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared a state of emergency for four days late on Tuesday, after protesters clashed with police and set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party.
At least one foreigner, a Japanese citizen, was among those injured in the rioting, the justice minister told a news conference.
About 700 people were detained for their part in the violence.
The chaos threatens to further delay deals that could unlock vast reserves of coal, uranium and other resources beneath the country's vast steppes and deserts, and are seen as key to lifting the isolated Central Asian state out of poverty.
"The president has declared a state of emergency according to the constitution ... from 11:30 p.m. on July 1 for a period of four days," television said.
The state of emergency means protests are banned and authorizes security forces to break up protests using force. Central areas have been put under curfew from 10 p.m. to 8 p.m. and alcohol sales are banned over the period.
Riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters on Tuesday night, but struggled to bring under control crowds, who threw stones, burned cars and gathered in their thousands in the main square of the capital Ulan Bator to protest against alleged election fraud.
Rioting continued into early Wednesday morning. Witnesses reported hearing gunfire. Conditions calmed at around 3 a.m. after convoys of police and armored vehicles arrived to disperse rioters, witnesses said.
CHARRED BUILDING
The blaze at the party headquarters had been extinguished, and state television showed MPRP Prime Minister Sanjaagiin Bayar touring the charred building and folding his hands in prayer.
An uneasy calm enveloped the city on Wednesday morning with a heavy police presence guarding government buildings.
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 vowed to press on with vote-counting.
"The state of emergency has no impact on the (committee's) work, which is continuing. We are hoping to get results out today," its deputy chief Bayarsaikhan told Reuters.
The leader of the opposition Democratic Party Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj rejected the results, but international observers say that overall the election was free and fair.
The Democratic Party had called its candidates from around the country to Ulan Bator, where they intended to present details of election fraud.
The US embassy in Ulan Bator said it was "deeply concerned" by the violence and called for both parties to work together.
Analysts and foreign business executives in Mongolia downplayed the violence, saying it was not supported by the majority of Mongolians and describing it as teething troubles for a young democracy.
"The outskirts of Ulan Bator have a lot of poor and frustrated youngsters who would use any pretext to get to streets and participate in any turmoil," said Sumati, from the polling organization Sant Maral Foundation.
Investors have pinned hopes on a majority government being able to shunt through long-delayed amendments to the Minerals Law and the passage of the draft investment deal that would allow the Gobi desert Oyu Tolgoi copper and gold project to go ahead.
The agreement which developers Ivanhoe Mines and Rio Tinto say would increase Mongolia's GDP by 34 percent, could clear the way for future deals to extract its resources.
Ivanhoe said it had no comment on the rioting.
Although ruled by an unstable coalition government for four years, the country of vast grasslands and deserts is often viewed as a rare example of democracy in Central Asia.
But new election rules that changed the first-past-the-post system to one of multi-member constituencies have led to procedural problems and some confusion over how votes should be counted.
(Writing by Ian Ransom; Editing by David Fogarty)
Mongolian President Declares State of Emergency Following Violent Protests
Mongolian President Nambaryn Enkhbayar has declared a four-day state of emergency in the capital following violent protests over Sunday's parliamentary elections.
According to the presidential decree, no public gathering will be allowed in Ulan Bator during the emergency period beginning Wednesday after midnight.
Angry protesters on Tuesday clashed with police and set fire to the offices of the ruling party, accusing it of voter fraud. Police responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.
The full results of the election have yet to be released, but preliminary results show the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party winning more than 40 of parliament's 76 seats.
The head of the rival Mongolian Democratic Party, which is predicted to have won more than 20 seats, says his party will not accept the results of the race.
Both parties campaigned on a promise to give cash payouts to every Mongolian from big mining projects, including a major copper deposit in the Gobi desert.
The Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party ruled the country for much of the past century as a one-party communist state, but introduced multi-party democracy and market reforms in the 1990s.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
VOA NewsSoldiers patrol Mongolian capital amid state of emergency
ULAN BATOR (AFP) — Heavily armed soldiers patrolled the capital of Mongolia Wednesday after a state of emergency was declared to quell deadly protests that erupted amid outrage over disputed national elections.
Four people were killed and about 400 policemen injured during the riots that saw thousands of protesters destroy buildings and cars as they stormed through Ulan Bator on Tuesday, according to state-run television.
The Soviet-era headquarters of the formerly communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) that claimed victory in the weekend elections was still smouldering after being set alight and looted in the unrest.
As the protests erupted, Prime Minister Sanjagiin Bayar, of the MPRP, accused the rival Democrats of inciting the violence by unfairly alleging Sunday's parliamentary elections had been rigged.
"The other party is accusing us of buying the election. It's not true, the election was free and fair," he said from the MPRP headquarters before it was ransacked.
An AFP reporter who walked through the city on Wednesday saw dozens of soldiers with rifles standing guard outside the MPRP headquarters, as well as other military personnel and vehicles patrolling the centre of the city.
Mongolian President Nambariin Enkhbayar declared a four-day state of emergency late on Tuesday to end the rioting, implementing security measures that included a ban on alcohol sales and restrictions on the press.
A night-time curfew was also imposed while traffic was prohibited from passing through the centre of Ulan Bator where the worst of the violence erupted.
Police had been forced to fire bullets and tear gas to quell the unrest, according to an AFP reporter on the scene and other witnesses who estimated the rioting mob to be about 6,000 strong.
However it was impossible to immediately confirm further details about the four people that national television had reported killed.
Mongolia, a landlocked nation of nearly three million people, has a history of political intrigue and turmoil, after emerging from 70 years as a Soviet satellite and holdings its first democratic elections in 1992.
However the violence was among the worst the nation -- famous for its ancient warrior history under Genghis Khan -- had seen since adopting a democratic model, and many people in Ulan Bator were left disenchanted.
"I sincerely appreciate my country and its history but I think this was an unfair election," said Denzin Chuluunbaatar, 45, a social worker, who was walking through the city on Wednesday.
"The politicians are not thinking about the country, they just think about themselves... It's just a small country so we can't fight each other. It would be terrible if there was a civil war."
Prime Minister Bayar identified Democratic Party leader Tsakhia Elbegdorj of inciting the unrest by making his allegations of electoral fraud.
Elbegdorj had indeed bluntly accused the MPRP in a press conference on Tuesday of "illegal activities" that robbed the Democrats of victory.
"People voted for democracy, ask eight of 10 people and they will say they voted for the Democratic Party. We lost because... corrupt people changed the results," he told reporters.
"This was a dark moment in the history of Mongolia."
The MPRP, which ruled during the Soviet years, had claimed to have won 45 seats in the 76-seat Great Hural. State press said the Democrats had won 21 seats.
However the General Election Committee has yet to make a formal announcement on the ballot, and an official declaration from it could spark further anger.
"The results are not ready yet," committee spokesman Purevdorjiin Naranbat told AFP. He was unable to say when the results would be announced.
In 2004, Mongolia's last general election, the MPRP and the Democrats were forced into a coalition that produced three different prime ministers.
Fatal clashes in Mongolia capital
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7484632.stm
At least four people have died in violent protests in the Mongolian capital over alleged electoral fraud, officials and state media say.
At least 130 police and protesters were wounded, and hundreds are said to have been detained in Ulan Bator.
The president has declared a state of emergency and on Wednesday parts of the city remained sealed off.
Opposition supporters question early results from Sunday's poll, which give a clear victory to the ruling party.
Preliminary returns suggest the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) has taken at least 45 seats in the 76-seat parliament, but the opposition Democrats allege fraud.
'Necessary force'
Several thousand people gathered on to the streets of the capital after the preliminary results emerged on Tuesday.
The ruling party headquarters were set alight and government offices were looted. Paintings were destroyed by a fire at the national art gallery, Mongolia's Montsame news agency said.
Protesters set fire to the headquarters of the ruling party
Police used tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon to force stone-throwing protesters back.
At a news conference on Wednesday, the country's Justice Minister Munkhorgil said five people had died, though state television and a foreign ministry official put the toll at four.
Late on Tuesday, President Nambaryn Enkhbayar announced a four-day state of emergency, to run from 2330.
"Police will use necessary force to crack down on criminals who are looting private and government property," said Mr Munkhorgil.
By Wednesday morning some areas were sealed off and roadblocks were in place, a AP writer in Ulan Bator said, but shops were open and transport was running.
Lawmakers and officials will meet in the capital later in the day for emergency talks on the situation, Montsame said.
Mineral row
Both the MPRP and international observers say the polls were free and fair.
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But Democratic Party leader Tsakhia Elbegdorj said his party was robbed of victory.
"If most people voted for us why did we lose? We lost because... corrupt people changed the results," he said.
This is the fifth election since Mongolia adopted wide-ranging economic and politic reform in 1990.
Before that, its government was modelled on that of the neighbouring Soviet Union.
The MPRP ruled Mongolia from 1921-1996, when it was beaten by the Democrats. In 2004 the two parties were forced into an uneasy coalition but broke apart two years later.
The two parties disagree on how newly-found mineral reserves - copper, gold and coal - should be best exploited.
Five dead in Mongolia post-election violence
At least one foreigner, a Japanese citizen, was among those injured, the minister told a news conference. Some 700 people were detained for their part in the violence, which led to the president declaring a state of emergency. (Reporting by Irja Halasz, writing by Lindsay Beck, editing by Benjamin Kang Lim)
http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSPEK329665