Roads blocked in protests against Honduras poll results

TEGUCIGALPA:  Activists blocked roads and clashed with police in Honduras on Saturday as part of nationwide protests against the contested re-election of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, reports AFP.

Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds jailed since Hernandez was declared the winner of the November 26 run-off election -- after a three week stretch of often-interrupted ballot counting that stoked tensions and sparked accusations of fraud in the Central American country.

The left-wing Alliance in Opposition against the Dictatorship is heading a protest campaign insisting that the election was stolen from its candidate, former TV anchor Salvador Nasrallah.

The opposition called for a "national strike" on Saturday to block the country's main roads ahead of the start of the president's new term in office on January 27.

The government deployed police and soldiers to confront protesters.

One demonstrator was shot dead Saturday, opposition leader and former president Manuel Zelaya told AFP, identifying the victim as Anselmo Villareal, 60.

 

Roads blocked in protests against Honduras poll results

TEGUCIGALPA: Activists blocked roads and clashed with police in Honduras on Saturday as part of nationwide protests against the contested re-election of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, reports AFP. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds jailed since Hernandez was declared the winner of the November 26 run-off election -- after a three week stretch of often-interrupted ballot counting that stoked tensions and sparked accusations of fraud in the Central American country. The left-wing Alliance in Opposition against the Dictatorship is heading a protest campaign insisting that the election was stolen from its candidate, former TV anchor Salvador Nasrallah. The opposition called for a national strike on Saturday to block the countrys main roads ahead of the start of the presidents new term in office on January 27. The government deployed police and soldiers to confront protesters. One demonstrator was shot dead Saturday, opposition leader and former president Manuel Zelaya told AFP, identifying the victim as Anselmo Villareal, 60.