Honduras' leftwing opposition is demanding a presidential election held two weeks ago be scrapped and its results annulled, alleging it was "rigged" in favour of incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez. The Alliance Against the Dictatorship coalition backing Hernandez's chief rival in the poll, Salvador Nasralla, lodged the demand late Friday with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
Both Hernandez and Nasralla claimed victory after the November 26 election. The electoral tribunal has not declared any winner, though has released complete results showing Hernandez ended up scoring a very slender advantage over Nasralla - despite an initial count putting Nasralla comfortably in the lead. It said Hernandez received 42.98 percent of the ballots, while Nasralla got 41.38 percent. But it said that count could be subject to appeal.
The small Central American nation of 10 million has been mired in uncertainty since the election, with competing demonstrations for Hernandez and Nasralla. Sporadic violence has occurred, prompting Hernandez to order a state of emergency with a nighttime curfew. Police, however, have said they will not repress anti-Hernandez protests.
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