[JURIST] Armenian President Robert Kocharian [official website] Thursday issued a decree lifting media restrictions put in place during a state of emergency [JURIST report] declared after last month's contested presidential election. The decree is set to take effect Friday, but restrictions on rallies and public gatherings will still be in force. AP has more.

Kocharian declared a state of emergency earlier this month after protesters demonstrated against the result of the February 19 presidential election in which Prime Minister Serzh Sarksyan [official profile], a Kocharian ally, was declared the winner [BBC report]. Supporters of the opposition candidate and former president, Levon Ter-Petrosian [official website], alleged fraud, and held daily rallies [IHT report] to force a new vote. Last week, the Constitutional Court of Armenia rejected a challenge [JURIST report] brought by Ter-Petrosian against the election results, ruling that although polling discrepancies existed they did not affect the election's outcome.