Robert Kocharian the President of Armenia declared a state of emergency in Armenia on Saturday, after protests over last month’s election turned violent. Demonstrators say the election was fraudulent. Many people were injured in pitched battles in Yerevan’s central streets, which flared up when police tried to disperse demonstrators protesting at a presidential election they say was rigged.

An official said that the state of emergency will “hopefully bring some order” to the country’s capital, Yerevan. The state of emergency could last until March 20 but the government hopes “that it will be lifted sooner”.