Thousands in Honduras protest president's re-election

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Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday against the re-election of conservative President Juan Orlando Hernandez, demanding that his rival be recognized as the real winner of the November presidential race.

Supporters of the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship rallied and marched in the streets of San Pedro Sula, the country's second largest city, calling for Salvador Nasralla to be named the winner and sworn in this month.

‍Supporters of opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla hold a banner as they take part in a march to protest against the results of the Honduran general elections in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, January 6, 2018. Banner reads "Out Juan Orlando Hernandez." /Reuters Photo

"The people are not going to put up with this imposition, so that the dictator can stay on," Nasralla, a former TV host, said of Hernandez outside the city's colonial-era cathedral.

Marchers walked about two kilometers waving banners bearing slogans including "Electoral Fraud Shall Not Stand," "No more political killings," and "Freedom for Political Prisoners," demanding that Hernandez, 49, step aside.

Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla delivers a speech to his supporters during a march in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, January 6, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Marchers also called for a national strike, including a boycott of Hernandez's inauguration and road blocks around the impoverished Central American nation.

Electoral officials on Friday rejected the opposition's appeal demanding the annulment of Hernandez's reelection, which was lodged over voter fraud allegations in the bitterly-disputed poll. The country's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in a statement, cited a lack of evidence and dubbed the opposition's actions "groundless."

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez speaks during a news conference in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, January 2, 2018. /Reuters Photo

Hernandez stood for re-election against Nasralla despite a constitutional ban on presidents serving more than one term. According to election officials, the final results showed the conservative Hernandez winning with 42.95 percent of the vote, over Nasralla's 41.42 percent.

Source(s): AFP