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A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 4 deceMber 2017

Opposition wants re-do of Honduras elections amid protests

By FREDDY CUEVAS protest by gunmen who
Associated Press witnesses say were police.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras The national police force
(AP) — Residents of Hondu- said it was investigating the
ras’ capital were bracing attack. Witnesses and op-
for more demonstrations position activists claim at
Sunday after a night of pot- least five others have been
banging protests over the killed at protests nation-
long-delayed vote count wide.
in last week’s presidential On Saturday, the govern-
elections. ment of Mexico urged
The sound of bottle-rockets, Honduras to bring in in-
clanging pots and chants ternational observers for
echoed through Tegucigal- the vote count, which has
pa late Saturday, and the been essentially frozen be-
opposition planned new cause Nasralla’s supporters
protests against alleged want far more ballot boxes
vote fraud against opposi- recounted than what the
tion candidate Salvador country’s electoral tribunal
Nasralla, who is calling for a has offered.
re-do of the election. The country’s electoral
President Juan Orlando court had finished count-
Hernandez leads the par- Anti-government protestors shout slogans during a government imposed dawn-to-dusk curfew in ing nearly 95 percent of
tial vote count and his Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Opposition leaders have called for a mass march against the purported the ballot boxes from the
government has imposed election fraud on Sunday and for the presidential election to be held again after the country Nov. 26 presidential elec-
a 10-day curfew of 6 p.m. erupted in deadly protests over the delayed vote count. tion by late Friday and said
to 6 a.m. to quell continu- (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) it would conduct a hand
ing demonstrations. On ralla, a television personal- “I have asked them to re- aren’t sufficient conditions count of 1,031 other boxes
Saturday, the curfew was ity, have claimed victory in peat the elections, but only to guarantee” the vote that presented “inconsis-
dropped for the country’s the Nov. 26 vote. those for the presidency, would be fair. Asked what tencies.”
two main tourist areas, the Nasralla had been lead- with the aim of resolving response he got from the The protests were reminis-
Bay Islands and the Mayan ing in the count until a the crisis that Honduras is government to the pro- cent of those following the
ruins of Copan. lengthy delay interrupted suffering,” Nasralla told The posal, Nasralla said, “They 2009 coup that ousted for-
Clashes between protest- reports from electoral of- Associated Press. haven’t responded and I mer President Manuel Zela-
ers and troops have killed ficials, feeding opposition He said a new election don’t think they will.” ya, whose Libre party is part
at least one person, and complaints of irregularities. “would be under the super- Honduras’ national police of (the key partner in?) the
perhaps as many as a half- Officials blamed the pause vision of an international force said a 19-year-old coalition led by Nasralla
dozen. on technical problems and electoral tribunal, not the woman was shot to death that formed in a bid to un-
Both Hernandez and Nas- denied any manipulation. local one, because there overnight at a pro-Nasralla seat Hernandez.q

6.0 earthquake hits Ecuador coast; no injuries reported

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A in bed shortly after 6 a.m. timism that Ecuadoreans Penaherrera, a top official were no immediate reports
magnitude 6.0 earthquake (1100 GMT). It was felt in 12 were better prepared for with Ecuador’s agency for of major damage.
struck along the coast of provinces across the coun- a natural disaster after re- risk management, point- Fabricio Diaz, governor
Ecuador Sunday in the try. The U.S. Geological Sur- building from last year’s ing out that authorities car- of Manabi province, said
same area where a much vey said the quake, with magnitude 7.8 quake ried out an earthquake drill emergency dispatchers
stronger tremor left hun- a depth of 15.5 miles (25 along the Pacific coast that last week in the same area received just 38 phone
dreds dead last year. kilometers), was centered left more than 600 people where Sunday’s quake calls, the majority from resi-
President Lenin Moreno around the town of San Vi- dead and thousands more took place. dents inquiring about the
said there were no imme- cente. injured and homeless. He said authorities were still quake’s epicenter rather
diate reports of victims or Authorities said that there “We’ve made some giant canvassing coastal areas than reporting damages.
major damage from the wasn’t a risk of a tsunami steps and are much more for damage but that other The province’s ports, dams
quake, which jolted many and appealed for calm. prepared than we were than knocking out power and major roadways were
Ecuadoreans who were still They also expressed op- in the past,” said Ricardo in some rural areas there unaffected, he said.q