As Honduras is soaked in a political crisis, opposition candidate Porfirio Lobo claims he won a presidential election that has been condemned by Latin American leaders.

Official results showed on late Sunday that Lobo had over 55 percent support with more than half the ballots counted.

Honduras' conservative opposition National Party said its candidate Lobo won the election. Lobo's main rival Elvin Santos of the ruling Liberal Party also conceded defeat.

Electoral officials said 61.3 percent of 4.3 million eligible voters had turned out in the controversial election after Honduras has suffered the five-month crisis since the army overthrew President Manuel Zelaya in June.

Meanwhile, the ousted leftist president said the election was illegitimate and accused police of repressing his supporters.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannons at Zelaya's supporters, wounding some people and arresting many others.

Angry protesters rejected the election result, claiming that about 75 percent of the eligible voters did not participate in the vote.

Neither Zelaya nor Roberto Micheletti, installed as interim president by Congress after the military coup, took part in the race.

Leaders of Brazil, Venezuela and other Latin American countries said the election was invalid because it was backed by the coup leaders.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva once again condemned the election, saying that failure to oppose it could encourage other adventurers to stage coups in Latin America.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez also said the vote was an electoral farce.

However, the US State Department described the election last week as 'a democratic way forward for the Honduran people.'

AGB/SC/DT