Honduras protests

This item appears on page 19 of the January 2018 issue.

Supporters of Honduran presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla protested in the capital, Tegucigalpa, after Nasralla accused the electoral commission of manipulating the results. Protesters blocked the street leading to the vote-counting center, with police responding by firing tear gas into the crowds. 

Nasralla was beating President Orlando Hernández in the election when the commission suddenly stopped counting votes for 36 hours. After it resumed, his lead dropped significantly, eventually falling behind Hernández, and the protests began.

Both candidates signed a document vowing to respect the results of the count after the first pause in counting. However, after the commission stopped counting votes for a second time, Nasralla stated he would not accept the results.