The president of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, said this Thursday that she will recognize the winner of the general elections held on November 30, if officially certified by the National Electoral Council (CNE), and anticipated that the transfer of power will take place «peacefully». «Even in these difficult circumstances, I have been respectful of the law and the Constitution of the Republic, and to maintain peace in our country, considering that the traditional political parties decided to abandon the thesis of a vote-by-vote recount of the 19,167 presidential ballots, I will respect the winner proclaimed by the National Electoral Council,» Castro emphasized during a military ceremony in Tegucigalpa. The ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre, left), whose presidential candidate, Rixi Moncada, is third with 19.29% of the votes, and the presidential candidate Salvador Nasralla, of the conservative Liberal Party and second with 39.19%, have requested a «vote-by-vote» recount of all ballots, something the CNE dismissed citing legal impediments. «The Electoral Law of Honduras does not recognize or admit the figure of a total 'vote-by-vote' at the national level without cause,» the CNE said in a statement on Wednesday, when it warned that accepting such a generalized recount at the presidential level could lead to similar reviews at other levels, «distorting the vote-counting system» established by law and «acting outside the law». Castro emphasized this Thursday that her Government will facilitate a «peaceful transition» once the electoral body issues the official declaration, whose legal deadline expires next December 30. According to preliminary CNE results based on 99.80% of the ballots counted, Nasry 'Tito' Asfura, the presidential candidate of the conservative National Party and backed by US President Donald Trump, leads the vote with 40.54% of the suffrages. Castro stated that her term will conclude «peacefully» on January 27 as the first woman to govern Honduras, a post she said she has held with «dignity and respect for the people». She reminded the new leadership of the Armed Forces of Honduras, headed by the Chief of the Joint Staff, General Héctor Valerio, that their current mission is to support the CNE in the «custody and security» of the electoral process, with the goal that before December 30 the special recounts of a process «seriously questioned for the lack of transparency, the participation of armed groups and gangs» are concluded. She added that the 26 audios warning of a possible electoral «coup» «are being fulfilled mathematically,» and reiterated «the threats to the Honduran people with foreign intervention from the United States». Three days before the elections, Trump urged Hondurans to vote for Asfura, against Moncada, whom he labels as a «communist».
«Even in these difficult circumstances, I have been respectful of the law and the Constitution of the Republic, and to maintain peace in our country, considering that the traditional political parties decided to abandon the thesis of a vote-by-vote recount of the 19,167 presidential ballots, I will respect the winner proclaimed by the National Electoral Council,» Castro emphasized during a military ceremony in Tegucigalpa.
