Home | Business News | Browse by Publication | N | NotiCen: Central American & Caribbean Affairs

HONDURAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION THROWS COUNTRY INTO CRISIS.

Article Excerpt
The Honduran Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) has called the Nov. 27 presidential elections for Manuel "Mel" Zelaya of the opposition Partido Liberal (PL). Zelaya appeared to have beaten governing Partido Nacional (PN) candidate Porfirio Lobo Sosa in a close race punctuated with personal attacks and accusations. Lobo refused to concede as the early votes were counted, complaining that the TSE had called the race without presenting firm data. In fact, the TSE presented no data. As the week wore on, there was no official winner.

Called the dirtiest race in memory, the negative campaign was driven by the fact that the candidates were not very far apart on most issues. Where they did differ was on the return of the death penalty. Lobo was for it, Zelaya against. The death penalty issue was seen as a referendum on the Mano Dura policy of President Ricardo Maduro against the US-bred gangs menacing the country of late (see NotiCen, 2004-05-20). That policy saw alleged gang members given long jail sentences on the flimsiest of charges. Both major candidates campaigned against the gangs, but Zelaya called for firm law enforcement within a context that sought to identify and change the social causes of the international gang phenomenon.

Spiraling violence made the gang issue the central theme of the election, and Lobo took full credit for spearheading the Maduro government's severe policies against them. Many analysts said Lobo's vehemence, amounting to an extermination campaign, boomeranged and cost him crucial votes. The commentators said too many people were reminded of the worst dictatorship in Honduras' history,...

View this article FREE - Now for a Limited Time, try Goliath Business News
Free for 3 Days!