Honduran president sworn in amid protests

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez called for unity on Saturday after a bitterly disputed election last year as he was sworn in for a second term, while police skirmished with protesters in the streets.

Hernandez, a conservative supported by the United States, appeared set to lose the Nov. 26 election until an abrupt halt in the vote count and a shift in the results took victory away from his center-left rival, Salvador Nasralla.

Allegations of fraud sparked protests that killed more than 30 people in the impoverished Central American country, which has also been plagued by battles between security forces, local gangs and drug traffickers.

As Hernandez spoke at a stadium at his swearing-in, supporters and troops chanted "unity" and waved the blue and white Honduran flag.