Honduras government declares curfew amid election unrest

  02 December 2017    Read: 956
Honduras government declares curfew amid election unrest
Honduran authorities suspended constitutional guarantees on Friday and imposed a lengthy curfew after delays in the count of presidential election votes triggered unrest, local media said.
Ebal Diaz, the secretary of the nation’s council of ministers, said the suspension would come into force at 11 p.m. (5:00GMT Saturday), according to La Pensa newspaper. The curfew will be in effect for ten days from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The announcement of final results from last Sunday's poll has been delayed amid opposition's allegations of fraud and calls for vote recount.

The latest count of almost 95 percent of votes put incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez ahead of his challenger Salvador Nasralla by 1.5 points. A simple majority is needed to win the presidential race.

Delays and fraud accusations have led to protests across the country, with one man shot dead in La Ceiba. Ten protesters were injured in the national capital of Tegucigalpa, while 12 police officers were hurt throughout Honduras.

The Honduran military called for calm on Friday evening after demonstrations escalated into violence and looting. At least a hundred of trouble-makers were detained for clashing with police and blocking highways.

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