This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25081681

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Honduras presidential polls close after big turn-out Honduras election: Hernandez and Castro both claim win
(about 5 hours later)
Polls in Honduras have closed after millions voted for a new president, members of parliament and local mayors. Vote counting is taking place in Honduras, with both main presidential candidates claiming victory.
Polling was extended for one hour to 17:00 local time (23:00GMT) due to a big turn-out. The first results were expected about two hours later. With 42% of votes declared, the conservative Juan Orlando Hernandez leads with 34.15%, while Xiomara Castro has 28.45%, say election officials.
Voting took place amid tight security, but no serious incidents were reported. But Ms Castro, wife of ousted ex-president Manuel Zelaya, has announced to reporters that she has won.
Opinions polls point to a close race between conservative Juan Orlando Hernandez and Xiomara Castro, the wife of ousted ex-president Manuel Zelaya. Turn-out was high in Honduras, with millions voting for a new president, members of parliament and local mayors.
Mr Zelaya was removed from office in a coup in 2009. Mr Hernandez is the candidate of the National Party, which backed the military coup against the former president. Voting took place amid tight security, but no serious incidents were reported in the country, which has the highest murder rate in the world.
Although the electoral law prohibits broadcasting of early trends, the media are allowed to broadcast vote counting. Polling was extended for one hour due to a big turn-out.
The polling stations opened at 07:00 local time (13:00 GMT). "Thank God and thank you to the Honduran people for this triumph," posted Mr Hernandez on his Twitter page, at that stage with 24% of votes declared.
Around 5.4m Hondurans are registered to vote and authorities say there has been a "massive turn-out". But Ms Castro also used her Twitter account to announce that she had won: "Based on the exit poll results that I have received from the whole country, I can tell you: I am the president of Honduras."
She is bidding to become the first female president of Honduras
"Today, we can say that we have won," Ms Castro told reporters.
David Matamoros, president of the electoral court, said final results were not expected until early Monday.
"The preliminary results we have given so far do not show any tendency or declare any winner,'' he said.
Opinions polls had pointed to a close race between Ms Castro and Mr Hernandez, the two leading candidates in the presidential race.
Mr Hernandez, whose National Party backed the military coup in 2009 against Zelaya, has vowed to restore order with more soldiers and police on the streets.
Ms Castro has proposed a community police force to tackle local crime, with more soldiers deployed to the borders to combat drug trafficking.
Around 5.4m Hondurans were registered to vote and authorities say there was a "massive turn-out".
Authorities say the shooting of five men in the region of La Mosquitia caused panic and delayed the start of the elections in the town.Authorities say the shooting of five men in the region of La Mosquitia caused panic and delayed the start of the elections in the town.
But it was not clear if the incident had any link to the polling.But it was not clear if the incident had any link to the polling.
Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. It also has the world's highest murder rate, averaging 20 a day.Honduras is one of the poorest countries in Latin America. It also has the world's highest murder rate, averaging 20 a day.
Much of it is blamed on gang violence and drug traffickers. Much of the violence is blamed on gang violence and drug traffickers.
Nearly 30,000 police and soldiers were deployed to ensure security during Sunday's elections.Nearly 30,000 police and soldiers were deployed to ensure security during Sunday's elections.
Some correspondents say the polls give the two main presidential contenders a statistical tie, raising fears of a disputed result that could produce more instability and protests. A margin of just one vote is needed for a win - there is no run-off election.
A margin of just one vote is needed for a win - there is no run-off election. An electoral tribunal decides whether a recount is necessary, AP reports.