Associated Press
Sunday, March 2, 2008

YEREVAN, Armenia, March 1 -- Armenia's president imposed a state of emergency Saturday after police used tear gas and fired shots into the air to disperse demonstrators protesting alleged fraud in last month's presidential election.

The announcement from the office of President Robert Kocharian came shortly after police broke up the rally of about 15,000 demonstrators in Yerevan, the capital. Earlier, police used batons to remove hundreds of protesters who had camped in tents for more than a week in a square near the city mayor's office.

Kocharian's office said the state of emergency would remain in effect for 20 days.

The opposition has protested the results of the Feb. 19 presidential election. Officials say Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian won the vote outright. But supporters of opposition candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan have rejected the results.