Honduran lawmakers elect interim prosecutor, opposition cries foul

FILE PHOTO: Honduras President Xiomara Castro addresses supporters during a protest to demand the Congress' compliance with the Constitutional mandate to elect new authorities of the Public Prosecutor's Office, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras August 29, 2023. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez/File Photo

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Ruling party lawmakers in Honduras elected an interim attorney general on Wednesday, but opposition legislators accused the allies of leftist President Xiomara Castro of engineering an unconstitutional power grab.

Lawmakers with Castro's Libre party muscled through the election of the new interim prosecutor, Johel Zelaya, with a committee vote where their members make up a majority, even though they represent a minority in the Congress overall.