Armenia voted on Sunday in a referendum to change the constitution, which the main opposition parties hoped to turn into a no-confidence vote against President Robert Kocharyan, Reuters reported. As polls closed, official figures suggested a turnout of close to 50 percent -- improving the chances of the government securing approval for the changes. But an opposition leader accused authorities of rigging the vote, endorsed by the United States and European governments, and refused to accept its outcome. The opposition earlier threatened street protests if it judged that officials fiddled the vote to hand victory to the "Yes" camp. Tsovinar Khachatryan, a spokeswoman for the electoral commission, said that by 5 p.m. (1300 GMT) -- three hours before voting ended -- 44.6 percent of Armenia's 2.3 million voters had turned up.
