Hondurans prepare to vote in presidential election marked by fraud accusations

By Diego Oré

TEGUCIGALPA, Nov 30 (Reuters) – Hondurans head to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president in a tightly contested race that is taking place amid concerns over voter fraud in the impoverished Central American country.

Most polls show a virtual tie between three of the five contenders: former Defense Minister Rixi Moncada of the ruling leftist Liberty and Refoundation (LIBRE) party; former Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura of the conservative National Party; and television host Salvador Nasralla of the centrist Liberal Party.

The Organization of American States has expressed concerns about the electoral process, and the majority of its members in an extraordinary session this week called for the government of outgoing President Xiomara Castro to conduct elections free of intimidation, fraud and political interference. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau also warned on X that the U.S. will respond “swiftly and decisively to anyone who undermines the integrity of the democratic process in Honduras.”

U.S. President Donald Trump has backed Asfura, posting on social media that “if he doesn’t win, the United States will not be throwing good money after bad.”

“We are hoping that there will be no fraud and that the elections will be peaceful,” said Jennifer Lopez, a 22-year-old law student in Tegucigalpa. “This would be a huge step forward for democracy in our country.”

GROWING PUBLIC DISTRUST OF ELECTORAL PROCESS

Honduras, where six out of every ten citizens live in poverty, experienced a coup in 2009 when an alliance of right-wing military figures, politicians and businessmen overthrew Manuel Zelaya, the husband of the current president. In 2021, Hondurans voted massively for Castro, ending more than a century of rule by the National and Liberal parties.

The elections on Sunday, in which the 128 members of Congress, hundreds of mayors, and thousands of other public officials will also be chosen, are taking place in a highly polarized climate, with the three top candidates accusing each other of plotting fraud. Moncada has suggested she will not recognize the official results.

Honduras’ Attorney General’s Office, aligned with the ruling party, has accused the opposition parties of planning to commit voter fraud, a claim they deny. Prosecutors have opened an investigation into audio recordings that allegedly show a high-ranking National Party politician discussing plans with an unidentified military officer to influence the election. The alleged recordings, which the National Party says were created using artificial intelligence, have become central to Moncada’s campaign.

The Honduran military has also come under criticism for asking the National Election Council to give it copies of the tally sheets on election day, which is a violation of Honduran law.

These tensions have contributed to a growing public distrust of the electoral authorities and the electoral process in general. There have also been delays in the provision of voting materials.

Amid the heated atmosphere, 6.5 million Hondurans will decide between continuing with Castro’s left-wing social and economic agenda or shifting towards a conservative agenda by supporting the Liberal or National parties.

Castro, the first woman to govern Honduras, has increased public investment and social spending. The economy has grown moderately, and poverty and inequality have decreased, although both remain high. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has praised her government’s prudent fiscal management.

The country’s homicide rate has also fallen to its lowest level in recent history, but violence persists. Human rights groups have criticized Castro for maintaining a prolonged state of emergency in parts of Honduras and for continuing to rely on the military for policing, the approach of her predecessor, Juan Orlando Hernandez, who is serving a 45-year prison sentence in the U.S. after his conviction on drug trafficking charges. Trump said on Friday he plans to pardon Hernandez.

The presidential candidates have offered few concrete plans to solve the main problems plaguing Honduras: drug trafficking, corruption and poverty.

The elections will be closely watched from Asia. Both Asfura and Nasralla have said they may resume diplomatic relations with Taiwan if elected. Relations with Taipei were severed by the Castro government in 2023.

Such a move would represent the biggest diplomatic setback for China in the region since 1990, when the Nicaraguan government of Violeta Chamorro re-established its own relations with Taipei.

(Reporting by Diego Oré in Mexico City and Laura García in Tegucigalpa; Writing by Leila Miller; Edited by Ana Isabel Martínez and Paul Simao)