Nasry “Tito” Asfura Leading in Honduras Election!
Tegucigalpa, Dec 21 (EFE).-
Honduras’ conservative National Party presidential candidate, Nasry “Tito” Asfura, continues to lead the results of the Nov. 30 general elections with 40.31% of the vote, according to data from the National Electoral Council (CNE).
Asfura remains ahead with just over 1,000 tally sheets still to be reviewed from the 2,792 containing inconsistencies, which on Thursday entered a special vote count.
Despite a series of obstacles from members of the three major political parties — the National Party, the conservative Liberal Party, and the leftist ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre) — the special review, which was halted for about 12 hours between Saturday and Sunday, continues slowly and under time pressure.
The special count, originally scheduled to begin Dec. 13, started five days late amid uncertainty, suspicion and accusations of alleged fraud from Liberal Party candidate Salvador Nasralla and Libre candidate Rixi Moncada.
As of 8:30 p.m. local time (02:30 GMT) Sunday, after the CNE website resumed updating results, Asfura — who is backed by U.S. President Donald Trump — led with 1,381,675 votes (40.31%), followed by Nasralla with 1,355,598 votes (39.55%).
Moncada remained in third place with 655,898 ballots (19.13%), with 99.88% of tally sheets counted.
Before the 12-hour pause starting Saturday night, CNE authorities had projected final results would be ready between Monday and Tuesday.
In addition to technical and administrative problems, the CNE has faced threats, insults and pressure allegedly from Libre councilor Marlon Ochoa, according to CNE President Ana Paola Hall (Liberal Party) and councilor Cossette López (National Party).
The CNE has until Dec. 30 to announce the official election results, increasing urgency for the special review to move forward. Observers reported Hondurans voted peacefully and in large numbers.
If no official results are announced by Dec. 30, the issue would move to Congress, whose president, Luis Redondo of the ruling party, has not convened a full session since late August and in October installed a Permanent Commission made up of only nine of the 128 lawmakers.
Although the Permanent Commission holds broad powers, any decision on election results legally belongs to the full Congress, which would need to be convened.
Deep divisions in Congress led more than 70 lawmakers, mostly from the Liberal and National parties, to form a parallel Congress, which continues to meet and does not recognize Redondo’s Permanent Commission.
Last month’s elections were the 12th since Honduras returned to constitutional rule in 1980 and the most complex in the nation’s political history, according to the CNE.
Voters cast ballots to choose a successor to President Xiomara Castro, whose husband, former President Manuel Zelaya (2006–2009), is her main adviser and Libre’s chief coordinator, as well as three presidential designates and local and legislative authorities. EFE
gr/lds
