“Hondurans are full of rage and grief. Was it too much to ask that democracy be allowed to work in Honduras and that the Honduran people have a free and fair election?” said Honduras expert, Dana Frank.
Democracy does not seem to be working well for Honduras, the Central American country with some of the highest rates of murder, violence, and corruption in the whole world. With an election burdened by irregularities and probable fraud, Honduras is currently plagued with growing protests and turmoil.
The official results of the election held have yet to get announced. After November 26th, when Hondurans anxiously awaited the vote results for the polls which had just closed, the first bad sign began when the count, which was expected to take three hours, ended up taking ten.
When preliminary results of over half the polling places got released, showing the current president Juan Orlando Hernandez’s challenger, “Salvador Nasralla” leading by more than 5 points. What was seen to be an “irreversible trend” suffered after an increasing amount of delays in the count which led to an announcement that the Tribunal’s computers malfunctioned.
“It was Hernandez who was actually in the lead,” said a citizen who immediately took to the streets. “I am not marching for any one party,” he claimed, “I am marching for democracy in my country.”
The electoral disturbances resulted in the government declaring a national nighttime curfew, lifting many constitutional guarantees and a military crackdown. The crackdown has caused at least 13 deaths, including two policemen, and a 19-year-old teenager.
The incumbent president, Juan Orlando Hernandez of the right-wing National Party, got praised by the Trump administration for decreasing murder rates and reforming police-forces. Hernandez’s administration, however, is once again full of claims of corruption, human rights violations, and power abuse.
His opponent, former sports broadcaster, Salvador Nasralla ran as a standard bearer of a coalition center on an anti-corruption platform and a left-wing party known as the Opposition Alliance Against Dictatorship. Seven Latin American governments agreed to do a recount of the Honduran election.
The U.S. State Department announced it would back the Honduran government in supporting human rights, paving the way for millions of dollars in U.S. aid. Albeit, the Honduran economy is more diversified than in its “Banana Republic” days.
Over 60% of its population still lives in a state of poverty, exposed to constant crime and gang activity which fuels a high U.S. immigration rate. With its long history of an oligarchical rule at the hands of the military and the few wealthy families, some people question if Honduras will ever manage to continue its attempt at Democracy.
“Democracy is breaking down the traditional two-party system and so it’s not being allowed,” Professor Dana Frank said. “Like a fox taking over a chicken coop, President Juan Orlando Hernandez has taken over all the reins of power- including control over the Electoral Tribunal.”
This article was inspired by NBC // In Honduras, a tense time as elections put democracy through the test