How to Deal with Honduras ’ Quagmire

There are good reasons to believe that fraud took place in Honduras ’ presidential election.The Economistdid astatistical analysis of the election results and found “reasons to worry” about the integrity of the vote—although they were not conclusive. Areport from the Organization of American States Observation Mission points out “irregularities, mistakes, and systemic problems plaguing this election [that] make it difficult… to be certain about the outcome.”At the heart of the controversy is how the results of the presidential election shifted dramatically after a blackout in the release of information that lasted nearly 38 hours. A first report released by the Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Monday 27 November at 1:30 am (ten hours after polls closed and after both leading contenders had declared themselves the winners) showed opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla leading incumbent president Juan Orlando Hern ández 45.17% versus 40.21%, with 57.18% of tally sheets from polling stations counted.Then came the blackout, during which officials from Hernandez ’s National Party argued that the results would be reversed once the release of information resumed. Their claim was that the tally sheets initially reported came from polling stations in urban areas, whereas the National Party strongholds are in rural areas. Indeed, when the TSE began releasing i nformation again on Tuesday afternoon, Nasralla’s five point lead steadily declined and then disappeared. With al...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs