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href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Election-Theft-in-Honduras-20171205-0009.html">https://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Election-Theft-in-Honduras-20171205-0009.html</a></font>
<h1 id="reader-title">Election Theft in Honduras<br>
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<div id="meta-data" class="meta-data">
<div id="reader-estimated-time">December 5, 2017<br>
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<p class="subtitle" itemprop="description
alternativeHeadline">If opposition demands for a thorough
examination of election procedures and voting tallies are
not met, protests and repression may explode in Honduras.</p>
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<p>Honduras is in crisis. The national election took place
on Sunday 26 November. Results posted that night showed
the challenger Salvador Nasralla with a 5 percent lead
with 57 percent of the votes tallied. </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>RELATED:<br>
<a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/Coup-Against-Nasralla-in-Honduras-20171204-0014.html">Coup
Against Nasralla in Honduras</a></strong></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Then strange things began to happen. After midnight on
election night, TSE stopped posting updates and
effectively shut down for the next 36 hours. When
updates resumed, mid-day on Tuesday, the results
consistently favored the incumbent President Juan
Orlando Hernandez. The opposition lead steadily
diminished then disappeared. </p>
<p>On Monday 4 December, more than a week after the
election, the TSE announced results giving a narrow
victory to the incumbent National Party President Juan
Orlando Hernandez. As mass protests continue, the
opposition has demanded a recount of all the tally
sheets received after the TSE shutdown. </p>
<p><span><strong>Secret Audio Tape Documents National
Party Cheating</strong></span></p>
<p>Days before the Honduras election The Economist
published a blockbuster article titled “Is Honduras
Ruling Party Planning to Rig an Election?” They report
“The Economist has obtained a recording that, if
authentic, suggests the ruling party has plans to
distort results in the upcoming election.”</p>
<p>The two hour recording is from a National Party
training session. It details five tactics used to
influence election results: buy the credentials of small
party delegates who supervise the local polling place,
surreptitiously allow National Party voters to vote more
than once, spoil the votes for other candidates, damage
the tally sheet which favors their opponent so it cannot
be transmitted electronically to election headquarters.
and expedite the tally sheets favoring their party. </p>
<p><span><strong>Election Misconduct by the TSE</strong></span></p>
<p>The election process is managed by the Supreme
Electoral Tribunal (TSE) led by president David
Matamoros Batson who was previously Secretary General
and member of Congress for the National Party. </p>
<p>Following is evidence of TSE misconduct and bias: </p>
<p><strong>1 - TSE delayed posting results that favored
the opposition candidate. </strong></p>
<p>In the 2013 election, TSE started posting the election
results at 6:13 pm when just 24 percent of the total
votes had been received. Those returns gave the National
Party candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez a 5
percent lead. </p>
<p>This election, TSE acted differently. At 7:55 pm , TSE
President Matamoros tweeted “We have received 40
percent of the results.” But they did not post
this. They delayed posting the data until near midnight.
Then they reported that with 57.2 percent of total votes
counted Nasralla of the Opposition Coalition was ahead
with 45.17 percent versus Juan Orlando Hernandez of the
National party with 40.2 percent and the third place
Liberal Party candidate with 13.77 percent. </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>RELATED:<br>
<a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Nothing-to-See-Here-US-State-Dept.-Certifies-Honduras-as-Clean-Respectful-of-Rights-20171204-0025.html">Nothing
to See Here! US State Dept. Certifies Honduras
as 'Clean,' Respectful of Rights</a></strong></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>2 - TSE changed the election procedure. </strong></p>
<p>Honduras election procedure is to count and tally the
paper ballots at each of the voting stations around the
country. The tally sheet (‘acta’) is signed off by
representatives from each party, then scanned and
transmitted electronically to TSE headquarters where
they are added to national totals and posted. </p>
<p>Following the posting of results showing the opposition
candidate with a significant lead, at about midnight on
election day, the TSE changed the procedure and stopped
posting results for the next 36 hours. </p>
<p>TSE President Matamoros at 1:39 pm on Monday 27
November tweeted: “Today we are going to start opening
the ballot boxes coming in from across the country to
understand the ballots and results.” Five minutes
later, at 1:44 pm, he added “We cannot give results
until all the missing tally sheets come in.” </p>
<p>The situation was questioned by Spanish election
observer Ramon Jauregui who noted “There is no technical
reason that explains the delay, because the tallies from
all 18000 polling places were transmitted electronically
to the @tsehonduras on the day of the election.” </p>
<p><strong>3 - TSE falsely reported the number of missing
tally sheets. </strong></p>
<p>At 1:56 pm on Monday TSE President Matamoros announced
that they had received 13,000 of the total but are still
missing 6,000 tally sheets (“actas”). “We have received
13,000 tallies from across the country ….. we are
missing 6,000”. </p>
<p>At 4:17 pm, the number of missing tally sheets
mysteriously increased by 25 percent to 7500. TSE
Matamoros announced “We are missing 7500 actas”. </p>
<p><strong>4 - TSE officials gave contradictory results. </strong></p>
<p>While TSE President Matamoros was issuing conflicting
information about the number of missing ‘actas’, another
election official was saying something very different.
As reported in this Reuters story: </p>
<p>“Election official Marcos Ramiro Lobo told Reuters on
Monday afternoon that Nasralla was leading by a margin
of five points, with about 70 percent of ballots
counted. Lobo said Nasralla appeared certain to win,
signaling that experts at the electoral body regarded
his lead as irreversible.” </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em><strong>RELATED:<br>
<a
href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Honduras-Announces-Official-Election-Results-Incumbent-in-Lead-20171204-0008.html">Honduras'
Opposition Alliance Says Election 'Stolen,'
Won't Accept Results</a></strong></em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The third place Liberal Party candidate also recognized
Nasralla as the winner and urged the National Party
leader to concede defeat. </p>
<p>About noon on Tuesday the TSE resumed posting election
results after the 36 hour interruption. The new data
showed Nasralla’s lead steadily declining and by
Wednesday the National Party candidate and current
President Juan Orlando Hernandez was edging ahead. The
Center for Economic and Policy Research has analyzed the
data and determined the abrupt swing in elections
results was “next to impossible”. </p>
<p><span><strong>Where Are Things At Now?</strong></span></p>
<p>TSE has announced results showing Juan Orlando
Hernandez winning the election. The Opposition Coalition
candidate Nasralla has called for a new election under
international observation and control. The Opposition
Coordinator and former president, Manuel Zelaya, has
issued a statement calling for the investigation and
verification of the election procedures and results. </p>
<p>The current situation calls into question the
objectivity of the US and Organization of American
States (OAS). Will the US and OAS issue token criticisms
but ultimately rubber stamp this Honduras election
despite the glaring problems? If so, it will highlight
the double-standard as the US and OAS have aggressively
criticized Venezuelan elections and refused to
acknowledge the results even after full recounts and
verification. </p>
<p>If opposition demands for a thorough examination of
election procedures and voting tallies are not met,
protests and repression may explode in Honduras. The
majority of Honduran people evidently want new
leadership and voted for it. What is transparent is not
the election process, it is the attempted election
theft.</p>
<hr>
<p><em><strong>Rick Sterling</strong> is an investigative
journalist who was an official election observer in
the 2013 Honduras election. He can be contacted at <a
href="http://rsterling1@gmail.com">rsterling1@gmail.com</a>. </em></p>
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