The New Nation - Internet Edition

Reuters, Ulan Bator

Troops began pulling back from the streets of the Mongolian capital on Saturday and political leaders called for calm ahead of the lifting of emergency rule that was declared after rioting over alleged election fraud.

There was no sign of the tension that gripped the capital, Ulan Bator, just a few days ago, when stone-throwing mobs set the ruling party's headquarters on fire in a night of violence that killed five people and prompted the president to declare emergency rule for the first time in Mongolia's history. "The political parties do not want renewed violence," said Y. Otgonbayar, chairman of the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP). "The primary task at this moment is to keep people quiet and bring back normalcy."

Workers were shoveling charcoal debris out of the MPRP's headquarters and authorities had erected a fence around the soot-covered building that stands as a reminder of the riot on Tuesday that was a rare outpouring of political violence. But the security presence was light in Ulan Bator, with families enjoying the sunshine and tourists snapping photographs in the city's main square.

All parties were to hold more talks later on Saturday to discuss the impasse over last week's election, which has delayed the formation of a government and dampened hopes for action to tackle double-digit inflation and pass mining agreements.

The opposition Democratic Party was alleging fraud and pressing for re-counting and a possible re-vote in some constituencies, after preliminary results showed the MPRP won a clear majority in the 76-seat parliament, or Great Hural.