Honduras president calls for talks, opposition says no
TEGUCIGALPA: Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez called on the opposition Tuesday to hold talks with his government, after he was declared the winner of a bitterly disputed election.
But the opposition candidate, Salvador Nasralla, rejected dialogue — unless it was to confirm that he, and not Hernandez, won the Nov 26 poll.
A key figure in Nasralla’s leftwing Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition, ex- president Manuel Zelaya, urged supporters to keep up nationwide demonstrations, albeit peacefully.
Both Hernandez and Nasralla claimed victory after the election, which international observers said was marred by irregularities.
After three weeks of delays, uncertainty, opposition claims of fraud and sometimes violent street demonstrations, Honduras’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal on Sunday finally declared Hernandez the victor.
The opposition has refused to accept that. Protests broke out right after the tribunal’s announcement but appeared to ebb on Tuesday following crackdowns by police fi ring teargas on demonstrators.
In Tegucigalpa, Hernandez made a broadcast to the nation on Tuesday, saying: “As presidentelect, I hold out my hand and have an open spirit to closely listen to the other side and to fi nd, through dialogue, a national accord that allows us to uphold peace and security.”
However,formanyHonduranshis legitimacy remained in question. Under the country’s constitution, Hernandez was barred from seeking re- election. But that ban was overturned in 2015 by a ruling from the Supreme Court, which is dominated by loyalists.
Nasralla travelled to the US over the weekend to drum up support for his claim to the presidency and highlight alleged vote-rigging. — AFP