The publication of the vote count for the presidential election held a week ago in Honduras remains paralyzed for the second consecutive day this Sunday, according to an electoral official and one of the candidates.
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In the slow count, right-wing businessman Nasry Asfura, 67, supported by US President Donald Trump, maintains a slight advantage over television presenter Salvador Nasralla, 72, of the Liberal Party (PL).
The member of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Marlon Ochoa, declared that several technical problems are at the origin of the “lack of updating of the results”.
“At least 5,000 counting records” transmitted from polling stations on election day show “zero” results in the system, Ochoa, a council member of the left-wing Liberté et Refondation (Libre) party, said at a news conference.
The National Electoral Council (CNE) is made up of representatives of the three main political parties in Honduras.
By interrupting the vote count, the CNE “shows irresponsibility towards the country, keeping the population in a state of anxiety,” according to Nasralla. “Corrupt officials paralyzed the vote counting process at the National Electoral Council,” he added.
A Colombian company, responsible for transmitting and publishing the results, is responsible for the delay in counting the votes and, according to Nasralla, “must be held accountable immediately.”
It is estimated that 7,766 results of the presidential, legislative and municipal elections are still awaiting processing, noted the advisor.
Due to irregularities, Ochoa said the elections held a week ago “are the most manipulated and unreliable” in Honduras’ democratic history.
The Organization of American States (OAS) called on Saturday to speed up the vote counting process.
At the last count, with 88.6% of the votes counted, Asfura, of the National Party (PN, conservative), has 40.19% of the votes, against 39.49% for Nasralla, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
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