Emergency ends in Mongolia

Source: Agencies  |   2008-7-6  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

A FOUR-DAY state of emergency in Mongolia ended early yesterday after violent election riots last week left five people dead, 300 injured, and hundreds detained.

The country's sprawling, low-rise capital Ulan Bator had returned to normal yesterday, with little sign of police and military patrols launched after the country's first-ever state of emergency was declared in response to Tuesday's riot.

Beyond questions of security and responsibility, though, the attack on the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party headquarters came at a time of deep unease for the young democracy, with problems ranging from rapid urbanization to corruption and skyrocketing inflation.

"We're going through a difficult period of political and economic transition where all parties need to harmonize and agree on some basic norms," Justice Minister Munk-Orgil said as workers cleared away rubble from charred buildings near his office.

Squeezed between China and Russia, Mongolia has walked a tightrope since political reforms in 1990, seeking to diversify its economy and foreign relations.

The violence broke out after results were announced in last Sunday's parliamentary elections, in which the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party appeared to win an outright majority in the 76-seat body. Opposition leaders accused the MPRP of fraud, although independent observers found no signs of systematic abuses.

The national election commission has until July 10 to announce final results.