I spent most of February 2018 in Honduras after one of the most contentious presidential elections held there in recent years. I traveled around within and between cities and all over the country via ordinary buses and cabs. Although my main mission involved providing medical assistance, I was able to talk with a variety of Hondurans about the recent contested election, including health care workers, cab drivers, fellow bus passengers, and just plain folks. Based on those conversations, I concluded that the Honduran electorate is as fiercely divided as our own right here in the United States.
Honduras is a Central American country slightly larger than Tennessee. With eastern jungles, mountains, and both Caribbean and Pacific coasts, it has a varied geography and an ethnically diverse and fast growing population of 9 million. The UK Telegraph once called it “the most dangerous country on the planet” (Nov. 11, 2013) because of its high murder rate. I had been a Peace Corps health volunteer in Honduras for 3½ years (2000-2003), but the corps pulled out of the country several years ago because of the risk, though I’ve continued to return on my own annually as a medical brigade volunteer.
The November 2017 election was the first held after the Honduran constitution had been amended to allow a second presidential term. This was a controversial move by National Party incumbent Juan Orlando Hernández, since the mere possibility of trying to change the constitution to allow for re-election was a primary justification for ousting repeat presidential candidate Manuel Zelaya in 2009, then a Liberal Party incumbent. Numerous irregularities occurred this time around, including polls closing one hour early at 4 pm and periodic suspensions of vote count totals. Presidential challenger Salvador Nasralla of the fledgling Libre Party was leading initially, but Nationalist incumbent Hernández was declared the winner in the end. The Liberal Party candidate, Luis Zelaya (not affiliated with Manuel or Libre, the names get confusing), the traditional rival to Hernández’s more conservative National Party, had been eclipsed by the upstart Libre Party, started by former president Manuel Zelaya, now a member of the legislature for Libre.
- Hits: 5736