This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen
on .
It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
Honduras opposition candidate demands election recount
Honduras opposition candidate demands election recount
(about 9 hours later)
The opposition presidential candidate in last week's elections in Honduras has demanded a recount, claiming tally sheets were altered, ballots were cast by dead or absent people, and polling stations were inadequately monitored.
The opposition presidential candidate in last week's elections in Honduras has demanded a recount, claiming tally sheets were altered, ballots were cast by dead or absent people and polling stations were inadequately monitored.
Juan Orlando Hernández, of the ruling National party, was declared the winner with 37% of the votes, compared to 29% for Xiomara Castro, according to the electoral court. Six other candidates shared the remainder.
Juan Orlando Hernández, of the ruling National party, was declared the winner with 37% of the votes, compared to 29% for Xiomara Castro. Six other candidates shared the remainder.
Voting was monitored by missions from the European Union and Organisation of American States, which concluded that the election process was transparent despite irregularities including a faulty system for issuing poll workers' credentials and electoral lists in which people who are either dead or who left Honduras long ago could account for up to 30% of registered voters.
The voting was monitored by the European Union and Organisation of American States, which said the process was transparent, though there were irregularities, including a faulty system for issuing poll workers' credentials and electoral lists in which people who are either dead or who left Honduras long ago could account for up to 30% of registered voters. "Transparency does not guarantee that there are no mistakes in the process," said José Antonio de Gabriel, deputy chief of the European Union's observer mission. "But we do see the electoral tribunal has the will to correct them."
"Transparency does not guarantee that there are no mistakes in the process," said José Antonio de Gabriel, deputy chief of the European Union's observer mission. "But we do see the electoral tribunal has the will to correct them."
Castro, 54, and her leftist Libre party insist that the irregularities go beyond mistakes and amount to election fraud. She called the election "a disgusting monstrosity that has robbed me of the presidency" and said she would not recognise Hernández's government.
Castro, 54, and her leftist Libre party say the irregularities go beyond mistakes and amount to election fraud. On Friday Castro called the election "a disgusting monstrosity that has robbed me of the presidency" and said she would not recognise Hernández's government.
Castro later led thousands of supporters on to the streets of Tegucigalpa to protest against the result. The demonstration passed off peacefully.
Ricci Moncada, Libre's representative on the electoral tribunal, said many vote tally sheets were altered and in some cases falsified by including the votes of people no longer in Honduras, in order to benefit Hernandez. She said this was possible because there was no fair oversight at many voting stations.
The supreme electoral tribunal issues the eight political parties with credentials to have their members working polls on election day to avoid fraud. But the credentials only include the name of the party and location of the poll. Castro accused some of the smaller parties of selling their spots at polling stations to National party members.
Castro is not the only candidate who rejects the result. The Anti-Corruption party candidate, Salvador Nasralla, who won almost 14% of the vote, has officially filed a complaint challenging the results.
Asked about the fraud allegations, the electoral tribunal president, David Matamoros, said the vote tally sheets had been closely reviewed. "We must check to leave no doubt that the counts are correct," he said.
Hernández has said his victory was legitimate and he would not negotiate. He has not comment directly on the fraud allegations.
The elections also left a divided Congress. The National and Liberal parties had long split the majority of the legislative seats, but the recent creation of the Libre and Anti-Corruption parties has changed that. Last week's voting to replace 128 members of Congress left the National party with 48 seats, Libre with 39, the Liberal party with 25 and the Anti-Corruption party with 13.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.
