Honduras imposed a mandatory overnight curfew in an effort to quell post-election unrest, a move slammed by an opposition candidate as tantamount to a “coup d’état ”
The 10-day curfew will be in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Food transport, emergency health workers and accredited press are exempt from the curfew, announced Friday night.
“The executive decree orders the arrest of any person found outside the circulation hours established by the authorities or who is suspected of causing damage to persons or property,”Jorge Ramón Hernández, coordinating minister of the Government of Honduras, said on national TV.
He ordered all state and local authorities to be at the disposal of the National Police and armed forces.
Army and national police have also been ordered to clear demonstrators or people committing illegal activities from public areas, highways, bridges and private or public buildings.
Honduras is currently recounting disputed ballots from Sunday’s presidential election between incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez and opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, a prominent TV star.
Nasralla backers protesting what they believe is election fraud and presidential meddling in the polls have squared off with security forces.
In a tweet, Nasralla condemned the curfew and said declaring the “curfew 12 hours a day while processing electoral records is the equivalent of a coup d’état in Honduras.”
“I condemn the repression and death that the Honduran people are suffering due to the coup by the president,” Nasralla said.
Heide B. Fulton, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Honduras, said in a tweet that “election authorities need to carry vote count to completion freely and transparently, without interference.” She also wished “all parties remain calm while that process unfolds.”
“There is a process in place to clarify ALL outstanding questions about the contested ballots. The political parties have a positive role to play,” she said on Twitter.
