Opposition spurns Honduran president's call for talks

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The opposition candidate in Honduras' disputed elections has rejected a call from the President Juan Orlando Hernandez for dialogue.

Hernandez issued the invitation after he was declared the winner of the presidential vote.

In a broadcast to the nation on Tuesday, he said: "As president-elect, I hold out my hand and have an open spirit to closely listen to the other side and to find, through dialogue, a national accord that allows us to uphold peace and security."

But the opposition candidate, Salvador Nasralla, immediately rejected it – unless it was to confirm that he, and not Hernandez, won the November 26 poll.

Honduran opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla /Reuters Photo

Speaking in Washington on Tuesday, Nasralla said: "Yes, I want to take part in dialogue – so that he (Hernandez) understands that four years with him in power, and with all these people ranged against him, the country will be ungovernable."

He said the election was marred by "monumental fraud."

Both men claimed victory after the vote, 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 firing teargas on demonstrators.

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.

Supporters of President and National Party presidential candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez hold figures of Hernandez as they wait for official presidential election results in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 28. /Reuters Photo

A key figure in Nasralla's left-wing Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition, ex-President Manuel Zelaya, has urged supporters to keep up nationwide demonstrations, albeit peacefully.

Nasralla traveled to the United States over the weekend to drum up support for his claim to the presidency and highlight alleged vote-rigging.

Nasralla also said US credibility would take a blow if Washington recognized Hernandez as president-elect.

On Monday, he met with Luis Almagro, chief of the Washington-based Organization of American States, to press his case.

Nasralla said he had presented evidence of fraud to Almagro, who has backed the opposition leader's demand for a new election to be held.

Police prepare to fire tear gas toward opposition supporters during clashes after the opposition rejected a declaration of victory for Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez in a sharply disputed election, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras Dec.18. /Reuters Photo

Zelaya – who was ousted in a 2009 coup, ostensibly for trying to stay in power more than one term – also gave no ground as the opposition coalition's chief strategist. "Our call to all the Honduran people is that they peacefully keep up mobilizations on a national level," he told a news conference in Honduras.

He rejected Hernandez's appeal for talks, saying he himself was interested in dialogue only "if it is to recognize Nasralla's triumph."

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Source(s): AFP