Protesters Breach Fence at National Congress of Honduras as Lawmakers Clash Inside

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Demonstrators gathered outside Honduras’s National Congress on Friday, January 21, as clashes broke out among lawmakers inside when Jorge Calix was elected president of a provisional board of directors.

The live-streamed session on the Congreso Nacional HN Facebook page showed how tensions in the Congress peaked when several deputies climbed onto the podium and scuffles between members broke out before the stream was cut off.

Calix was elected as president of a provisional board of directors, a role that effectively places him in a four-year term as president of the National Congress of Honduras, according to local media.

His election came amid division within his own Libertad y Refundacion (Libre) party. Libre deputies who opposed the election were the first to break decorum during the session.

Deputies within the party considered the election of Calix to be a betrayal of a deal made the night before between Libre and the Salvador de Honduras (PSH) party to support the election of Luis Redondo (PSH).

Calix, Vice President Yahve Sabillon, and Secretary Beatriz Valle were shielded behind a clear plastic sheet as scuffles broke out, but were eventually elected, Honduran media said

Outside the congressional building on Friday, protesters found ways onto the property, climbing walls and lifting a metal grate so demonstrators could slide underneath. Reports said protesters entered the building.

Footage filmed by Carlos Yanez shows the scene in Tegucigalpa on Friday. Credit: Carlos Yanez via Storyful