“There is no doubt that these elections are completely tainted,” stated former Honduran President Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009) during a massive rally at the Presidential Palace in Tegucigalpa, convened by President Xiomara Castro in defense of democracy.

According to Zelaya, who is also the general coordinator of Libre, one of the main reasons for demanding the annulment of the recent elections, as established by law, is that “the people, who are sovereign and must vote freely, were subjected to coercion, blackmail, and threats.”

Zelaya, who was ousted in a 2009 coup, lashed out at US President Donald Trump’s interference in the election, following Trump’s open support for the presidential candidate of the right-wing National Party (PN), Nasry Asfura.

The leader of the young left-wing party accused the local oligarchy of resorting to threats from the “empire” to intimidate citizens, to the detriment of Libre’s presidential candidate, Rixi Moncada, whom Trump labeled a “communist.”

She stated that the interference is so pervasive that even today “they continue to threaten us from the north,” referring to a message from the US State Department urging the National Electoral Council (CNE) to begin the special recount process “immediately.”

In his speech, Zelaya called on the election officials to open the ballot boxes and recount every vote, as demanded by three of the five parties participating in the November 30th election, in order to clarify the numerous allegations of irregularities. He emphasized that, “The final word on the elections in Honduras has not yet been spoken.”

jdt/arc/edu