Favorite Presidential Candidates Reject Violence in Honduras

Presidential candidates from the National Party (PN) and the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), Nasry Asfura and Xiomara Castro, respectively, supported the calls for putting an end to political violence in Honduras.

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Castro and Asfura made a public call to Hondurans and national institutions to avoid an atmosphere of conflict and violence on Election Day while advocating for a good performance from the National Electoral Council (CNE).

"I vehemently reject and condemn the coercive and intimidating practices, as well as the hate campaign and the dirty political propaganda paid for by the media against us with violent and discriminatory language, before and during the entire campaign," Castro said.

"We cannot look back. We know that violence takes us in the opposite direction of development, progress, and family stability...On Election Day, We can decide if we walk on the path of peace, or if we are on the path of conflict," Asfura noted.

A recent survey by the Center of Studies for Democracy (Cespad) placed Castro at the top of the electoral preferences. The poll revealed that she had 38 percent of the voting preferences, and her competitor Asfura enjoyed 21 percent of the voting intentions.

General Elections take place amid corruption scandals against President Juan Orlando Hernandez (JOH), who has been accused in the U.S. of having received bribes from drug traffickers to finance his presidential campaign in 2013.

In addition to the political climate, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, last year's weather events such as hurricanes Eta and Iota, the high levels of poverty impact Hondurans.

World Bank data show that this Central American nation is the second poorest country on the continent, after Haiti, since almost half of the population (4.8 million people) live on less than US$5.50 per day.