TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP) — Newly elected president Porfirio Lobo faced the challenge yesterday of steering Honduras clear of the five-month crisis that isolated the nation after the ouster of

his predecessor Manuel Zelaya in a

June coup.

Lobo became the third leader at play in the deep turmoil set off by the June 28 coup after claiming victory in Sunday’s elections, which took place under a de facto regime criticised for its heavy-handed control of dissent.

The conservative Lobo must now convince backers of Zelaya, and the world, that he was legitimately elected as the new president

of Honduras.

The beleaguered Zelaya, who has been holed up in the Brazilian embassy since secretly returning in September, had called for a boycott of the polls which he said would legitimise the coup.

His rival, de facto leader Roberto Micheletti, hailed the elections, in which neither Zelaya nor Micheletti took part, and officials were quick to claim the vote

a success.

However, the international community, once united in condemnation of the coup, was deeply split over how to react to the

poll result.

The United States, the country’s main trade partner, swiftly underlined its support, with State Department spokesman Ian Kelly calling the elections “a necessary and important step forward”.

Peru, Panama and Costa Rica, which mediated first crisis talks, have already said they would support the elections.

But Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and other leftist governments in the region have said they will not recognise the result.

It looked unlikely that leaders meeting at a Latin American and Iberian summit in Portugal on Monday would manage to reach a consensus and countries from the European Union, a main donor to Honduras, were set to discuss the issue.

Spain’s Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said while his government

did not recognise the elections “neither

can we ignore them” and called for

national reconciliation.

Speaking at the same venue, Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced what he called a “spurious government” and accused the US of supporting a dictatorship.

Zelaya, a wealthy rancher, swung to the left and allied with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after taking office.

The division puts in danger US President Barack Obama’s attempts for a fresh start with Latin America after a painful history of US intervention.

Lobo, who lost to Zelaya in 2005 presidential polls, vowed to launch a national dialogue, form a unity government and woo back much-needed foreign investment.

He has not ruled out talking to Zelaya, who was ousted after critics said he acted against the constitution and tried to illegally extend term limits.

“If he (Lobo) doesn’t strike some kind of compromise with Zelaya, he remains illegitimate in the eyes of most of the region’s leaders — with the Brazil the key actor here,” Latin America analyst Dan Hellinger, from Webster University, told AFP.

Lobo led with 55.9 per cent of the vote, electoral officials said late Sunday, after more than 60 per cent of ballots were counted.

Shortly afterwards, his main rival, Elvin Santos, who garnered around 38 per cent of votes and is from the divided Liberal Party of both Zelaya and Micheletti, conceded defeat.