The 2017 Elections in Honduras are over, with both sides are claiming victory. On Sunday, Hondurans voted for a new President, National Congress and in municipal elections. The final results are expected on Thursday.
Nasralla challenges Hernández
The Presidential Election included two candidates: the incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernández of the National Party and his challenger Salvador Nasralla of the Libre-PINU party.
Polls have suggested that incumbent President Hernández is in the lead. However, after counting more than half of the votes, the electoral tribunal announced Monday morning (local time) that the opposition leader Salvador Nasralle held the lead. Nasralle gained 45.17 percent of the votes so far with his rival Hernández winning 40.22 percent of votes.
We will post the official results here once they have been released.
Controversial Candidacy
Incumbent President Hernández running for president led to controversy. The Honduran constitution forbids presidents to run for a second term. Yet President Hernández went to court to make his re-election possible. His lawyers argued that a 2015 Supreme Court ruling found that the law banning re-elections violated a citizen’s human rights.
The country is one of the poorest in the world and has a serious problem with organized crime and violence. President Hernández said in is his election campaign that he did not have enough time to solve all problems for the Honduran people but wants to continue tackling the challenges faced by the country.
High-security measures accompany the General election
Despite all predictions, his opponent Salvador Nasralla is in the lead for becoming the next president. Incumbent President Hernández announced his win on Sunday evening whereas Nasralla announced his win to his supporters during Sunday night/ Monday morning.
The electoral tribunal has been under police protection to secure a calm vote counting process. Not only is a new president elected but also 128 members of the National Congress. Moreover, the Mayor in 298 municipalities has been elected yesterday.