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News > Honduras

Honduras Calls for Primary Elections Amid Political Controversy

  • Police officers guard the Central Plaza in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Sept. 5, 2020.

    Police officers guard the Central Plaza in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo: EFE

Published 15 September 2020
Opinion

The opposition parties consider that a new electoral law is required to hold the next elections.

Honduras' National Electoral Council (CNE) President Ana Hall called on political parties to choose their candidates ahead of the 2021 primary elections amid controversies over the absence of a new electoral law.

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The CNE scheduled the elections for March 4, 2021, under the current electoral law, which is considered illegal by Honduras' opposition parties.

Last week, a new law was supposed to be passed by the Congress, but the document has not gathered the number of votes needed for its approval due to political forces' lack of agreement.

The opposition parties have not agreed with the bill because they claim that the pro-government movements are preparing an electoral fraud under the new electoral law.

Honduras' former President Manuel Zelaya (2006-2009) opposed the CNE decision because "the conditions are not created for going to the polls."

"To call for elections, we must first guarantee transparency and security. With a new electoral law under discussion, and without a completed electoral census, we cannot begin the primary process," Zelaya said.

"We need to detect that there are no deceased persons registered to vote or duplicate identity cards. That way we can define who may go to the polls to elect a new government," he said and explained that updating an electoral roll takes time.

During the primary elections, the use of digital fingerprinting at the time of voting could be implemented "to avoid controversy," the CNE president assured.

The Liberal Party, the National Party, and the Liberty and Refoundation (Libre) Party will take part in the primary elections in which the people will choose 3,038 public positions.

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