Protests continue in Honduras as presidential inauguration looms

TEGUCIGALPA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Supporters of the Opposition Alliance in Honduras on Monday continued to protest what they claim to be fraudulent elections, just days before the presidential inauguration on Jan. 27.

The Central American nation has been rocked by violent demonstrations, vandalism and looting since the top electoral court (TSE) announced the incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez defeated opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla by a razor thin margin of 42.95 percent to 41.42 percent.

Protests broke out again on Saturday and continued through Sunday. An elderly man was reported killed in the country's northern region after military troops allegedly fired on demonstrators.

In the days following the elections in late November, the Honduran government imposed a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to quash the protests.

Nasralla claimed fraud after a vote count that was marred by a five-hour computer breakdown. When the system was announced to be back up and running, the rival had lost his early lead to Hernandez. Enditem