Honduran President Invites Salvador Nasralla to Take Part in National Dialogue

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Jan. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Yesterday, President Juan Orlando Hernández penned a letter inviting defeated presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla to join a national dialogue in pursuit of peace.

"I invite you to take part in this dialogue with all the sectors [of society] that are already participating," President Hernández wrote. In the letter, the president also offers to meet with Nasralla for an "open, sincere" discussion.

Earlier this week, about 200 leaders of Honduran civil society organizations and business groups began calling for a national dialogue during a meeting in Tegucigalpa. Together, they've established the Plataforma Cuidadana por Honduras, or PCH, to foster a dialogue that works toward peace and national consensus.

According to Honduran media reports, Libre Alliance leaders have called for a boycott of President Hernández's inauguration on January 27 and protests to begin a week prior. On January 25, the Alliance plans nationwide demonstrations on public roads, at airports, and around the National Stadium of Tegucigalpa.

Several leaders of the business community have decried the post-election violence and highlighted the protests' negative effect on the economy.

In an interview with Honduran outlet La Tribuna, Alejandro Álvarez, the former president of the Honduran Chamber of Construction Industry, said, "If [the Libre Alliance] goes on like this they are losing votes and creating an economic situation that can become harmful for the country because those who suffer the most, obviously, are those who do not have financial muscle, those who live day-to-day, the self-employed."

"They are mistakenly thinking that this is going to knock Juan Orlando Hernández out of power," Álvarez said. "Almost all the countries of Latin America, like Europe, have recognized President Hernández."

Jimmy Daccarett, the regional president of the National Association of Industrialists, said, "The opposition in general was not able to demonstrate fraud."

"The Honduran people need peace and tranquility, and I hope that our political differences give way to respect and understanding," President Hernández said. "I invite Luis Zelaya, Salvador Nasralla, and Manuel Zelaya to start a dialogue, and to be part of what many other people across our nation are already working on."

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SOURCE Republic of Honduras