Honduran woman at anti-fraud protest in Tegucigalpa (December 2017). © Giorgio Trucchi / Rel-UITA.
Today, Juan Orlando Hernandez takes the oath of office as President of Honduras with the full support of President Trump – despite overwhelming evidence of election irregularities and allegations of fraud in last November’s presidential election in Honduras. This past week, Hondurans young and old took to the streets in a nationwide strike to denounce their stolen democracy, determined to liberate their country from what they call a de-facto dictatorship. Hernandez’s National Party came to power in a 2009 military coup d’état and continues its violent reign today, supported and funded by the United States.
On December 17, the Organization of American States (OAS) called for new elections based on the “extreme statistical improbability” of the official vote count. They reported “deliberate human intrusions in the computer system” and “intentional eliminations of digital traces”. Three days before Christmas, the Trump administration undermined the OAS call and congratulated Hernandez on his victory, a move that legitimises and emboldens a dangerous regime. President Trump continues to chastise migrants in the United States, but actions like this further undermine democracy, fuel political violence and deepen the push factors that force migrants to flee north in the first place.
