Author: Andrea Fernández Aponte
Last Sunday Hondurans made their way to the polls to decide the future of their country. The world watched as the results rolled in, showing the opposition’s Salvador Nasralla leading the race by five points ahead of incumbent Juan Orlando Hernández. Then, on Monday, the results stopped coming in.
After a 36-hour delay halted the vote counting process, the Honduran Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)—which has strong ties with the ruling right-wing government—started reporting a reversal in Nasralla’s winning the trend and, by Thursday, President Hernández began stretching a slim lead against his contender as the vote count ran in his favor.
The irregularities and lack of transparency surrounding the electoral process have aroused suspicion of the official results and undermined Hondurans’ faith in their country’s democratic institutions. Thousands of Hondurans have taken to the streets (in 16 of 18 departments) to protest amid vote-rigging allegations. Police and soldiers have tear gassed and shot at protesters, leaving dozens wounded and at least one dead.
Many are calling this Honduras’ worst political crisis since the 2009 coup.
We can’t sit still while our Honduran neighbors are struggling with all their might for free and fair elections and their right to peacefully protest. We need you to CALL your members of Congress and demand they weigh in to tip the scales in favor of justice and democracy!
ACT NOW
Enter your zipcode below to find your members’ contact information:
Ask them to contact the Department of State and the U.S. embassy in Honduras and demand they:
» Call for a full and transparent recount of the electoral votes in the presence of members of civil society, party representatives, and international observers;
» Urge the Honduran authorities to respect the right of the Honduran people, journalists and social communicators, social movements, and civil society organizations to freely express their opinions and peacefully protest;
» Suspend U.S. military and police aid, and withhold all U.S. funds to the Honduran government tied to human rights conditions.
There’s no time to spare. With every passing hour, the opportunity for free and fair elections is closing. Please call your members TODAY to do your part to help our neighbors!
