Honduran opposition candidate rejects official election count

Salvador Nasralla, presidential candidate for the Opposition Alliance. (Wikimedia Commons)

Salvador Nasralla, the Honduran opposition candidate whose early lead against President Juan Orlando Hernandez in a presidential election has evaporated, on Wednesday said he rejected the vote count of the electoral tribunal.

Earlier, both candidates vowed to respect the final result once every disputed vote had been scrutinized, issuing signed statements brokered by the Organization of American States.

But Nasralla told a news conference a few hours later that the document had “no validity” and rejected the count.

Nasralla initially held a five point lead against Hernandez until the electoral count suddenly stopped on Monday. When it restarted on Tuesday, the count began favoring Hernandez who edged ahead earlier on Wednesday before it stopped again.