Honduras: Post-electoral tensions continue to mount /update 6

Event

Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla has announced that he will refuse to accept results from the November 26 presidential elections if they indicate a victory for incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernández. According to preliminary results released late on Wednesday, November 30, Hernández had taken the lead for the first time since the vote counting process began; he currently enjoys a narrow lead with 83 percent of the votes counted. According to results released on Monday, he had been behind by 5 points with 70 percent of votes counted, leading Nasralla to accuse the electoral commission of manipulating the results. The website where the results are being published was down on Wednesday night - purportedly due to a technical error - further fueling suspicions of fraud.

Thousands of Nasralla supporters gathered in the capital Tegucigalpa on Wednesday, outside the building where the ballots were being stored, following calls for protest by the candidate. Police eventually used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

The final election results are still expected to be released on Thursday, although it is unclear if they will be released before midday as was initially projected. Further protests and rallies are likely both before and after the final results are announced, regardless of the winner. Post-election violence and social unrest has broken out in the country during previous electoral cycles; such violence cannot be ruled out in the coming hours and days, particularly if Hernández is declared the winner.

Context

The electoral commission - the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) - has been criticized by international observers for a lack of transparency amid the ongoing vote counting process, which is taking longer than expected.

The campaign period was also marked by high sociopolitical tensions, with President Hernández's re-election bid denounced as illegal by the political opposition. At least one segment of the opposition already announced it would not accept the results should Hernández be re-elected.

Advice

Individuals in Honduras are advised to keep abreast of the situation and to strictly avoid all demonstrations.

Visitors to the country should note that political activism by foreign nationals is prohibited under Honduran law. Foreigners who take part in demonstrations or other political activities risk detention and or/deportation.