Mongolians protest for new poll

Protesters wore yellow scarves and chanted slogans

Activists in Mongolia are calling for fresh elections and have demanded an end to official corruption.

They held protests outside parliament in the capital Ulan Bator on Friday, and say they have more planned.

The action appears to have been inspired by the situation in nearby Kyrgyzstan, where the government has been ousted by a popular uprising.

Mongolian Prime Minister Tsakhilganiin Elbegdorj has appeared on national television to appeal for calm.

One protester said another demonstration was planned for 7 April, the day parliament is due to open its Spring session.

"We will gather more people and we will hold more street demonstrations," said J Batzandan, a 30-year-old lawyer and university lecturer.

During Friday's protest in Liberty Square in Ulan Bator, demonstrators waved flags and chanted: "Let's congratulate our Kyrgyz brothers for their revolutionary spirit. Let's free Mongolia of corruption."

One report says as many as 5,000 protesters gathered, but other eyewitnesses say the demonstrators numbered only a few hundred.

They are disputing the results of elections in June, in which the governing former communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) and the opposition Democratic Coalition accused each other of cheating.

Protesters also accuse officials of embezzling 3.5bn tugrik ($3m) during the elections.

Mongolia is a former communist nation that introduced multiparty democracy in 1990.