Violent Protests And Vote-Count Delays Mar Presidential Election In Honduras
By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnellViolent Protests And Vote-Count Delays Mar Presidential Election In Honduras
By Julian Hayda, Jerome McDonnellSelf-barricaded protesters clashed with police in Honduras on Thursday after the country’s widely criticized presidential election has no clear winner after four days of vote-counting.
President Juan Orlando Hernandez and rival Salvador Nasralla both claimed victory. Nasralla initially held a five-point lead.
After numerous delays in releasing the results, official numbers now favor the incumbent, Orlando Hernandez. Both candidates signed an agreement brokered by the Organization of American States (OAS) to honor the vote outcome. Nasralla later shifted course and urged supporters to take to the streets.
“They take us for idiots and want to steal our victory,” Nasralla said.
Matt Ginsberg-Jaeckle is an interpreter/translator, community organizer, and member with the Chicago-based human rights group La Voz de Los de Abajo. He’s in Honduras to observe the election and will give us an update.