Protests rise as vote count in Honduras drags on Challenger in presidential race alleges fraud

Supporters of Libre Alliance presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla kneel in prayer during a protest outside the National Institute of Professional Training, where election ballots are stored, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017. Nasralla has alleged fraud and said he won't respect the official results. He's watched an initial five-point lead diminish in recent days as official results have trickled out, giving incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez a slim lead for re-election. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd) less Supporters of Libre Alliance presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla kneel in prayer during a protest outside the National Institute of Professional Training, where election ballots are stored, in Tegucigalpa, ... more Photo: Rodrigo Abd, STF Photo: Rodrigo Abd, STF Image 1 of / 26 Caption Close Protests rise as vote count in Honduras drags on 1 / 26 Back to Gallery

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Protests were growing in Honduras Thursday as incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez emerged with a growing lead for re-election following a reported computer glitch that shut down vote counting for several hours.

Challenger Salvador Nasralla has alleged fraud and said he won't respect the official results. He's watched an initial five-point lead diminish in recent days as official results have trickled out.

On Thursday, Hernandez was ahead by more than 35,000 votes, with nearly 91 percent of Sunday's votes processed. He had 42.7 percent of the vote to Nasralla's 41.5 percent.

Opposition supporters protested through the night outside the electoral court's facilities, setting up some highway roadblocks and lighting fires in the streets. Street protests continued Thursday with rock throwers facing off against police armed with tear gas and water cannons.

David Matamoros, president of the electoral court, said Thursday that officials had not finished counting in part because overnight they had to evacuate after tear gas drifted into the building.

He said that about 2,000 electoral reports from polling sites contained "inconsistencies," including lacking signatures from members of the polling sites or not having seals. Those will most likely require a special count, he said.

Representatives of the Organization of American States called for transparency in the count.

Protesters gathered on the capital's outskirts Thursday, preparing to march in protest. Riot police equipped with batons and tear gas closed two central boulevards.