British Embassy deploys election observers for Honduran national elections

Officials from across the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will deploy to various districts of Honduras on 28 November, to observe the Honduran presidential and parliamentary elections. The UK observers are drawn from the British Embassies for Honduras and Mexico. The Honduran Electoral Commission (CNE) accredited them as observers.

The UK Mission will observe the electoral process including the work of the electoral authorities, campaigning activities, the conduct of the media, the process of voting and counting, and the announcement of the results.

Speaking on the occasion, the British Ambassador to Honduras, Nick Whittingham, said:

“Credible and acceptable elections on 28 November are of tremendous importance for UK – Honduras relations. Observers play a central role in increasing voter confidence, deterring electoral fraud and observing the credibility of an election. We are committed to supporting Honduras to develop its democracy. Credible elections that are acceptable to the people of Honduras are the key to achieving our shared vision of a prosperous and stable country.”

Honduras has been described as a “narco-dictatorship,” and a wave of violence has been enacted against opposition candidates in the run up to Sunday’s vote.

The mayor of the country’s capital Tegucigalpa, Nasry Asfura, an ally of President Juan Orlando Hernández, will go head to head with populist Xiomara Castro, whose husband, former President Manuel “Mel” Zelaya, was ousted from power 2009’s military coup.