Gustavo Palencia, David Alire Garcia

TEGUCIGALPA – Fears are rising about potential foul play ahead of Sunday’s Honduran Presidential Election.

This charged atmosphere is reminiscent of 2017’s disputed election. The ruling National Party won the vote after an extended count. However, the Organization of American States claimed that it was marred by irregularities. It called for another vote.

Opposition claimed the results were fraudulent, and both parties declared victory. In the aftermath of the violence and repression, more than twenty-six people died.

Researchers at Honduras’ National University claim that the current election cycle is already more violent than it was four years ago. More than 30 have been killed.

Salvador Nasralla is the 2017 runner up and the current vice-president for the main opposition slate, which was led by Castro himself, self-declared democratic socialist Castro. The National Party is accused of plotting to repeat what he called voter suppression in 2017.

He told Reuters that he didn’t trust the electoral process.

According to politicians on both sides, the conservative National Party uses their full control over government funds and institutions to punish and reward opponents, as well as influence elections.

The party released a statement this week blaming the electoral authority for making errors, including lack of transparency. This could result in a “national crises” that may lead to suspect and delayed results.

According to it, “It creates an environment of high risk for the election.”

Sunday’s poll will see the latest political showdown in Central America. This comes after Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega swept to victory after detaining all his leading competitors.

In a sign of concerns in the final week before the election, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden took the unusual step of sending a high-level delegation to meet with the main candidates, government officials and election organizers.

According to a U.S. State Department senior official, the principal objective of the delegation was to facilitate a peaceful, fair, and free election given the country’s democratic decline.

Castro, the poll leader, would win and bring back the Honduran government to power, the first since Manuel Zelaya’s 2009 fall.

If Nasry Asfura wins, he’ll have overthrown Juan Orlando Hernandez who was accused of corruption and links with drug smugglers.

Hernandez denies wrongdoing.

A LOOK AT THE CANDIDATE’S PHONE

During an interview Nasralla presented Reuters a clip from his mobile phone that he stated was recorded by his security camera at home a few weeks ago. The video showed someone slurring on the wall at his home. The video shows the subject removing the outer layers of clothing and revealing the shirt with Castro’s Libre logo underneath.

Nasralla claimed that video is evidence National Party agitators are disguised as Libre supporters to fear violence and property destruction in order to undermine opposition votes.

He said, “They are the ones who cause violence.”

A request to comment was not received by the National Party immediately.

A few businesses from the capital Tegucigalpa had their glass windows covered with metal and wood panels on Friday. This was a signal that they were serious about the risk of unrest.

Rixi Montcada, representative of Libre Party, stated that both the National Party (and the government) have made it difficult for the Libre Party to organise a fair and free vote.

The finance ministry was specifically blamed for interfering in the council’s finances and delaying deliveries of equipment at polling stations, such as printers and fingerprint readers.

Moncada, who is a lawyer expressed concerns that post-election disputes might reach the courts. He was widely regarded as loyal to the ruling Party.

She said, “This nation has very little faith” in the system of justice.