Sept. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Honduras’s leading presidential candidate said acting President Roberto Micheletti’s decree suspending constitutional rights could undermine election results if not lifted immediately.

“We’re totally against the decree that restricts individual guarantees and freedom of expression,” National Party candidate Porfirio Lobo said in an interview yesterday.

Micheletti’s Sept. 26 decree suspended civil liberties, banned protests and called on authorities to raid public buildings occupied by protesters. Soldiers and police today detained 55 demonstrators who had taken over the National Agricultural Institute to pressure for the restoration of ousted President Manuel Zelaya, police spokesman Orlin Cerrato said.

Electoral magistrate David Matamoros called on Micheletti to restore suspended rights so elections can be held freely.

“We don’t want any possibility that the legitimacy of elections come into question,” he told reporters today.

Lobo had 42 percent support, compared with 37 percent for Liberty Party candidate Elvin Santos, in the most recent CID- Gallup poll. The poll, released July 26, surveyed 1,024 Hondurans and had a 2.4 percentage-point margin of error.

Lobo lost to Zelaya, who like Micheletti is a member of the Liberty Party, in 2005 elections by less than 70,000 votes.

The U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, and the Union of South American Nations have said they won’t recognize the elections scheduled for Nov. 29 if there’s no resolution to the standoff between Zelaya and Micheletti.

Micheletti, who has refused to restore Zelaya as president, said the country will move forward with plans for elections as he continues considering the restoration of civil liberties.

“The electoral process is already established. Only God can stop the process,” he told reporters today. “Anyone who tries to hinder the electoral process will be jailed.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Blake Schmidt in Tegucigalpa at bschmidt16@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 30, 2009 15:25 EDT