Ulaanbaatar - Mongolia's newly elected parliament was unable to convene Thursday when the members of the largest opposition party refused to be sworn in.

Tsakhia Elbegdorj, head of the opposition Democratic Party (DP), justified the parliamentary boycott three weeks after the elections by claiming election fraud.

He claimed that all suggestions by the DP to solve Mongolia's post-election crisis in a conciliatory manner had been ignored.

Five people were killed in unrest after the June 29 elections in the country of 2.6 million inhabitants.

The DP accused the ruling Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) of fraud and demanded the resignation of the government and the election commission chairman.

The MPRP won 39 out of the 76 seats in parliament, with the DP taking 25. The allocation of 10 seats remained unclear as votes needed recounting.

According to Mongolian law, the president must swear in the new MPs by July 29. For the new parliament to work, a minimum quorum of 56 MPs is necessary.

Some analysts predicted the opposition would continue boycotting parliament and prevent the formation of a government.

A main election issue was the division of future mining profits and the poor living conditions of many Mongolians. (dpa)