( dpa )- A state of emergency was declared in Armenia late Saturday after one person was killed in continuing clashes between police and opposition supporters of Levon Ter-Petrosian.
Itar-Tass news agency said the state emergency was declared by outgoing President Robert Kocharian after violent protests in the capital, Yerevan, which followed police action Friday night.
Police moved in to clear dozens of tents used in a downtown camp for sit-ins and demonstrators loyal to Ter-Petrosian who claim the February 19 presidential election he lost had been rigged.
Ter-Petrosian, who won 21.43 per cent of the vote, accused the government during the election of a slew of violations including the beating and kidnapping of supporters.
Official results from the Central Election Committee (CEC) showed that Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian took 52.86 per cent of the vote with the final ballots counted.
The results put Sarkisian just over the 50 per cent needed to avoid a run-off with the second-place finisher after a bitterly contested election campaign.