Introduction
Honduras, a nation of 11 million inhabitants, finds itself in political limbo due to election-related chaos. Tensions rise and trust in the process erodes as the country awaits the final results of its presidential election held on November 24.
Election Day Issues and Delays
Weeks before the November 24 presidential election, a test highlighted significant flaws in Honduras’ voting system. Only 36% of practice ballots were processed, according to Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) member Marlon Ochoa. This warning proved eerily accurate.
Nearly two weeks after the election, the presidential vote remains stalled with hundreds of thousands of ballots uncounted. Rival candidates exchange accusations of fraud, and the electoral system is grounded by delays and dysfunctions.
Preliminary Count and Controversy
The preliminary count indicates that Nasry Asfura, from the conservative National Party, leads Salvador Nasralla of the centrist Liberal Party by a mere 40,000 votes. Almost 15% of the polling station tally sheets, encompassing hundreds of thousands of votes, present “inconsistencies” and remain uncounted.
Nasralla has capitalized on information issues to allege fraud, while President Xiomara Castro of the left-wing LIBRE party has denounced the process as an “electoral coup.” U.S. President Donald Trump, who publicly supported Asfura, has also accused fraud without providing evidence.
No major international observers, including the European Union and the Organization of American States, have expressed concern over systematic fraud. Instead, about a dozen experts told Reuters that internal struggles within the electoral body caused critical delays in preparations, and both Honduran political parties as well as external actors, including Trump, have undermined confidence in the results.
TSE Delays and System Failures
The Honduran electoral organ, the TSE, is led by three officials representing the major political parties. Their responsibility includes preparing, overseeing, and validating elections.
One of their critical tasks was to hire a company for ballot processing. However, in July, Ochoa from LIBRE boycotted TSE’s monthly meetings, delaying the licitation process initiation, according to electoral observers interviewed by Reuters.
Ochoa did not respond to a request for comment.
Eventually, on August 30, the TSE selected Grupo ASD, a Bogotá-based firm that has participated in Colombian local and national elections.
Experts and electoral observers informed Reuters that Grupo ASD’s systems were poorly equipped for the Honduran electoral process, which has specific requirements to prevent fraud, and lacked sufficient preparation time due to TSE’s delay.
“Their teams lacked adequate capacity,” said Carlos Hernández, director of Tegucigalpa-based nonprofit Asociación para una Sociedad Más Justa. “Three months to prepare for such complex elections is insufficient”.
Grupo ASD’s machines struggled to scan tally sheets at polling stations and digitally transmit them to Tegucigalpa. The company also paused vote counting for maintenance tasks post-elections, prolonging the process.
Grupo ASD did not respond to a request for comment.
“Given the doubts and problems, there should be a full recount,” stated Laura Carlsen, the political analyst observing the elections in Honduras.
Internal Disputes and International Interference
Before the November elections, the campaigns were heavily politicized, with parties accusing each other of vote manipulation or undermining confidence in the outcome.
The biggest scandal of this nature erupted in October when the attorney general launched an investigation against Cossette López-Osorio, a National Party council member, for allegedly discussing plans with a military officer to influence the elections. LIBRE’s presidential candidate, Rixi Moncada, told Reuters that the alleged conspiracy proved it was “the most fraudulent election in history.” Moncada currently ranks third in the vote count.
López-Osorio did not respond to a request for comment. The National Party claimed the investigation was an attempt to intimidate her.
As internal tensions escalated, some political figures sought international assistance.
In November, former prosecutor Sandra Ponce and ex-Supreme Court of Justice president Vilma Morales traveled to Geneva and Washington. Both belong to opposition parties. Ponce told Reuters she was worried LIBRE might sabotage the elections.
Ponce expressed satisfaction when, on November 25, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau voiced concern over “interference, intimidation, and political pressure” affecting TSE members. However, her enthusiasm waned when Trump publicly endorsed Asfura the following day.
“Trump crossed a red line,” Ponce told Reuters.
On December 6, the ruling LIBRE party requested the Honduran electoral body annul the vote partly due to Washington’s interference.
The count continues, with the TSE planning a special manual recount of inconsistent tally sheets on Saturday. The TSE has until December 30 to validate the election results.
