Hondurans vote for president Left-wing contestants vying to end Conservative government, Reuters

By David Alire Garcia and Gustavo Palencia

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Hondurans went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president, with left-wing candidate Xiomara Castro hoping to oust the right-wing National Party, whose 12-year rule has been marred by truffle scandals, chronic unemployment and waves. fleeing migrants.

If she won, Castro would be the first female president of Honduras. Her victory would bring the left back to power for the first time since her husband, former president Manuel Zelaya, was ousted in a 2009 coup.

He has won the support of voters for his efforts to strengthen opposition to incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez, and has denied accusations of links to powerful groups amid corruption scandals.

Recent polls have cemented him as a favorite.

“We can’t stay home. This is our moment. This is the time to overthrow the dictatorship,” Castro said, slowing down reporters after voting in the town of Catacamas on Sunday morning.

“It’s now or never.”

The candidate said he would report on the problems that voters see and that international observers would help ensure a fair vote.

Elections are the last political point https://www.reuters.com/article/honduras-election/factbox-hondurans-head-to-polls-cartels-poverty-and-china-loom-idUSL4N2SE32S Central America, a major migrant to the US the source and key point for drug trafficking, and where there is growing concern about authoritarian governments.

The vote has also sparked diplomatic fighting between Beijing and Washington after Castro said it would open diplomatic relations with China, removing US-backed ties with Taiwan.

Castro’s main rival is Nasry Asfura of the National Party, a wealthy businessman from the capital Tegucigalpa and mayor of two terms who has tried to distance himself from a non-reputed official.

On Honduran television, Asfura said he would comply with the result of the vote.

“I will finally respect what the people of Honduras want. The polls will say everything,” he said.

In Tegucigalpa, dozens of people lined up to vote early.

“I am against all corruption, poverty and drug trafficking,” said Jose Gonzalez, a 27-year-old mechanic who said he would vote for Castro.

Voting closes at 5 p.m., and preliminary results are expected three hours later. About 5.2 million Hondurans have the right to vote.

Hernandez’s controversial 2017 re-election, and its ugly consequences, are huge. Spread of the news of the irregularities sparked deadly protests, claiming the lives of more than two dozen people, but winning Hernandez’s election eventually resulted in a rubber stamp on the allies of the election council.

A few days later, Donald Trump was backed by the then US president’s government.

Alexa Sanchez, a 22-year-old medical student, was sitting on a bench listening to music on headphones and said she reluctantly voted in favor of Castro.

“The truth is, there weren’t that many good options,” he said. Sanchez added that he would not be surprised if the violence was not clear after a vote.

“Probably the National Party wins again … everything is already organized.”

HARD CAMPAIGN

A large number of election and international observers followed Sunday’s vote, including an observer mission of 68 members of the European Union.

“We are in favor of free, fair and peaceful elections,” said General Observer Zeljana Zovko, who has seen a large turnout for most of her group, although most polling stations have not opened in time.

On Saturday night, in some neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa, several businesses covered shop windows, and at least two car dealerships near the president’s offices emptied the land. There have been fierce protests in the neighborhood in the past.

“The campaign has been very tough,” said sociologist Julieta Castellanos and former dean of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, who raised “high hopes” for Castro in October when he sealed an opposition alliance with the 2017 runner-up.

Castellanos said post-election violence is possible if the race is particularly tight, if numerous allegations are made and suspicions of widespread fraud arise, or if the candidates declare themselves victorious in time.

Political violence has already resulted in more than 30 deaths this year, including local candidates and activists from all major parties.

Even beyond the campaign season, Honduras is among the most violent countries in the world, although homicide rates have dropped recently.

In addition to the presidential race, which represents more than a dozen parties, voters are also deciding on the composition of the country’s 128-member single-chamber Congress, plus 300 local government officials.

In the Kennedy district of the Tegucigalpa working class, 56-year-old accountant Jose, who refused to give his last name, said he would continue with the ruling party.

“I hope Tito Asfura can change everything,” he said, using the mayor’s nickname. “Look, corruption is in every government here.”