MIAMI - On late Saturday evening, the ruling liberal LIBRE party of President Xiomara Castro formally filed a legal motion requesting to annul the nation's presidential election that kicked off on Sunday, November 30.
The election has earned international media coverage in recent days for two reasons: to determine whether the Central American nation will follow in the trend sweeping Greater Latin America and reintroduce right-leaning governments like in Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador & Bolivia's landmark cessation of 20 years of socialist rule under Evo Morales.
The Honduran presidential election is also receiving widespread media coverage due to U.S. President Trump's last-minute involvement in the election, throwing his weight behind the conservative opposition candidate, Nasry Asfura, effectively flipping the race on its head.
Hondura's centrist candidate, who trails Asfura, Salvador Nasralla, a three-time presidential hopeful, claims that Mr. Trump's surprise endorsement placed a drag on his lead, saying, "It hurt me because I was winning by a much larger margin."
The election has since dragged on, eight days after voting began, sparking concerns of fraud and election abuse by outside organizations. Over 87% of the votes have been counted, with Asfura carrying a 10,000-15,000 vote lead in the race.
The Organization of American States (OAS)–an inter-regional agency focusing on democracy and economic development in Latin America–released a statement leading up to the election, expressing its concern "regarding the recent events in Honduras that are affecting the national election process", urging the left-wing government of President Xiomara Castro to implement safeguards to ensure the integrity of the election and "to guarantee the autonomy, continuity, and free exercise of these institutions."
Honduras has been accused of repeated election abuses in recent years and is tormented by a not uncommon Central American history of coups and upheavals regarding the transitions of national governments.
With a Castro defeat in waiting, the ruling liberal LIBRE party formally filed a motion requesting that the presidential election be annulled, and that voting be redone, citing irregularities and accusations of fraud and abuse from both sides of the political ballot.
According to Nasralla, the centrist candidate who was pushed aside by President Trump's endorsement, claims one-fifth of the tallies reported so far show "inconsistencies", and only 69% of the count could be considered verified. Nasralla is also pushing for an audit and a rigorous review of the process.
Meanwhile, the left-wing candidate of the Liberty & Refoundation Party (LIBRE), Rixi Moncada, and tapped successor to Xiomara Castro, is behind wide margins in third place, with defeat inevitable.
