Honduras election: Tensions high as vote count delayed

Tegucigalpa, Honduras – Tensions are high in Honduras because the pause outcome of Sunday’s presidential elections has been lurched into uncertainty in the final leg of the prolonged-delayed vote count.

Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla vowed to no longer settle for the legit results if the purchase is handed to his opponent, President Juan Orlando Hernandez. 

With 88.seventy six % of ballotbins counted, incumbent President Hernandez, with forty two.48 % of the vote, had a puny lead over the Opposition Alliance’s Nasralla with 41.7 %, in step with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).

Each candidates had claimed victory correct hours after polls closed in Sunday’s election, nevertheless prolonged silences from the TSE has threatened the provoke political unrest and chaos in some unspecified time in the future of the country.

In its first file of preliminary results early on Tuesday, Nasralla led by nearly 5 percentage substances with fifty seven % of the ballotbins counted.

Following the preliminary file, TSE magistrate Ramiro Lobo known as the outcome an « irreversible » fashion of a purchase for Nasralla.

But by Tuesday afternoon, the gap between the 2 considerable candidates started to shut, and by Wednesday, Hernandez had inched earlier than Nasralla, elevating suspicions of inappropriate play and spoking tensions in an already anxious waiting game. 

« We originate no longer want Juan Orlando in energy to any extent additional, » 19-300 and sixty five days-ancient pupil Raquel, who declined to inform her final name, suggested Al Jazeera in some unspecified time in the future of a grassroots opposition rally on Wednesday in Tegucigalpa outdoors the put ballots are being counted.

« It is already sure he’s attempting to retain out fraud to lift in energy and we’re no longer going to allow that, » Raquel said.

« We’re no longer going to allow him to exercise his dictatorship. »

Supporters of Salvador Nasralla, stand in front of insurrection police whereas they expect legit presidential election results outdoors the warehouse of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in Tegucigalpa [Edgard Garrido/Reuters]

Gerardo Torres, worldwide director of the Opposition Alliance, accused the TSE, whose president, David Matamoros, used to be formerly a Nationwide Birthday party member of Congress and the occasion’s overall secretary, of performing « electoral manipulation and forge an electoral coup ».

« They know they lost, » Torres suggested Al Jazeera.

« And highest by dysfunction, or a assert of emergency, or an electoral coup can they comprise in energy, » he added.

« They are dividing the Honduran folks by a psychological battle. »

The TSE’s Lobo suggested media that the shift used to be as a consequence of the TSE processing ballots from areas the put Hernandez had sturdy strengthen.

He said the preliminary fashion used to be unchanged and that as soon as the count incorporated ballots of Nasralla’s strongholds in the northern portion of the country, legit results would swing support in his favour.

In the meantime Hernandez’s supporters took to the streets Wednesday in a caravan waving blue flags of the Nationwide Birthday party to celebrate the incumbent president’s lead and the occasion’s success in all levels of authorities.

Supporters of President Juan Orlando Hernandez celebrate as they expect legit presidential election results [Edgard Garrido/Reuters]

‘Dishonest system’

Hernandez and Nasralla signed an accord Wednesday on the seek facts from of the Organization of American States agreeing to appreciate the TSE’s final outcome.

But Nasralla retracted his signature hours later, asserting that the he did no longer belief the TSE and that the OAS agreement used to be invalid and a « entice ». He accused the TSE of attempting to plan shut the election.

« We is no longer going to recognise the results of the dishonest system of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, » he said. 

Nasralla reveals the tallies of ballotcounting in some unspecified time in the future of a facts conference in Tegucigalpa, Honduras November 29, 2017 [Jorge Cabrera/Reuters]

The tv host-grew to turn out to be-politician said his chief issues surround a technical danger that caused the TSE servers to trot down for hours on Wednesday, moreover to the inclusion of unsigned tally sheets in the legit results, amongst different alleged irregularities.

In line with Torres, the Nationwide Birthday party leveraged Nasralla’s petrified margin of victory to stress the Opposition Alliance to negotiate. Torres denied rumours that such talks had been occurring on the support of closed doors.

« The negotiation they’re proposing is to lift impunity, comprise their protections, » he said.

In the lead as a lot as the election, allegations of corruption and drug-trafficking links admire swirled round Hernandez and his authorities.

Among different scandals, he and his Nationwide Birthday party are accused of accepting both drug cash and public funds embezzled from the country’s struggling social safety institute to support fund his 2013 presidential campaign.

Hernandez has denied alleged drug trafficking links and personal involvement in the social safety scandal.

Critics also inform Hernandez’s re-election inform, justified the exercise of a contested 2015 Supreme Court ruling, is in opposition to the law.

« They are pushing us to this point the put there are two choices: They pause counting ballots and impose an electoral coup or they power us to negotiate in account for to enter the ballots customarily, » Torres continued. « We’re no longer going to conclude it. »

‘Something may perhaps well additionally be anticipated’

In accordance with scanned copies of the tally sheets, which the total parties admire in their possession, Nasralla claimed he has the figures to illustrate he gained the election. 

In the meantime, Hernandez maintained that the rural vote is in his favour and that his occasion’s tallies display veil he’s on aim to clinch re-election. His conservative Nationwide Birthday party known as supporters to the streets earlier this week to defend what it known as a « total victory ».

Hernandez celebrates with supporters after the considerable legit presidential election results had been launched outdoors in Tegucigalpa [Edgard Garrido/Reuters]

Ratings of supporters for both of candidates admire demonstrated in the capital and in cities across the country as results continue to trickle in. Late on Wednesday, safety forces fired run gasoline at opposition supporters demonstrating outdoors the placement the put the votes are being counted.

The TSE has said final legit results shall be launched by Thursday at primarily the most modern.

The European Union election pronounce mission criticised the slack route of. The US, one among Honduras’ closest allies, urged election authorities to « total their work without undue delay » and for « all candidates to appreciate the results as soon as [the] results are tabulated ».

But after the though-provoking turn against the results that noticed Hernandez jump earlier than Nasralla, it stays unpredictable who the TSE will in the ruin issue as president-elect of the Central American country.

« From this untrue tribunal, the rest may perhaps well additionally be anticipated, » Juan Barahona, overall secretary of the Libre Birthday party, the considerable occasion making up the Opposition Alliance, suggested Al Jazeera.

« That’s why we originate no longer belief it and we are going to be alert for what they converse on the present time, the next day, or any day. »