Rival Honduran lawmakers back different congressional heads in dispute with next president

FILE PHOTO: Lawmakers of the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE) protest after dissidents lawmakers of their party proposed Jorge Calix as provisional president, which resulted in a brawl among lawmakers of the LIBRE party, at the Congress building in Tegucigalpa, Honduras January 21, 2022. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Honduran lawmakers in rival alliances backed two different people as congressional president on Sunday amid disputes between President-elect Xiomara Castro and dissident members of her party, warning of a new political crisis in the poverty-stricken Central American nation.

Lawmakers from Castro's leftist Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) and two other parties appointed a member of their caucus as president of Congress on Friday, breaking an agreement to appoint a lawmaker from the Partido Salvador de Honduras (PSH), an ally that helped Castro claim victory.