Ruling Party Wins Honduras Presidency
Ruling Party Wins Honduras Presidency
"Turning around the country will be a long term issue," anticipates COA’s Eric Farnsworth as Juan Orlando Hernández is declared the winner of Honduras’ presidential elections.
Juan Orlando Hernández appears poised to claim the presidential election in Honduras, but his challenger is alleging electoral fraud.
MEXICO CITY — Honduras' electoral court has officially declared ruling party candidate Juan Orlando Hernández the winner of Sunday's presidential election, with 80% of the vote counted.
Hernández, of the establishment National Party, beat back a challenge from Xiomara Castro, wife of former president Manuel Zelaya who was ousted from office and escorted out of the country in a 2009 coup.
Castro refuses to concede the contest, calling herself the victor and alleging incidents of fraud — setting the scene for a potential political crisis.
Hernández claimed 34% support in an eight-party race, compared with 29% for Castro and her Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre)....
"Turning around the country will be a long term issue," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Americas Society/Council of the Americas.
"The new president will need support of congress, business, and the international community. … An attack on cartels, corruption and crony capitalism would be a great place to begin."
Hernández campaigned on creating a new military police in Honduras, where, after the post-coup political crisis, the murder rate mushroomed, businesses and ordinary people began paying extortion to gangs, and cartels exploited the Central American country as a transit point for moving drugs between South America and the United States....
