The countdown has begun. There are only a few days left until the most important elections for Honduras, which could mark a real step towards democracy. However, the process is marred by political violence and drug trafficking that have permeated the very heart of the contest.
There are candidates for elected office who have been denounced or arrested for alleged links to money laundering, in addition to cases of political violence that "are taking on more worrying nuances than those that occurred and were recorded months ago," according to a statement from the Center for the Study of Democracy (CESPAD) of Honduras.
He added that during this electoral contest, the country is facing a scenario of political violence that has left candidates for elected office murdered "with great cruelty," while some 300 candidates have given up seeking office, "due to death threats, harassment and persecution in their municipalities and departments."
The organization recalled that the recent raid on properties belonging to the mayor of the municipality of Talanga, department of Francisco Morazán, Roosevelt Eduardo Avilez López, by the Directorate for the Fight against Drug Trafficking (DLCN) for alleged money laundering, gives an account and puts back on the table the issue of narco-politics.
According to the investigator, Avilez was unable to justify more than 160 million lempiras (just over 6.5 million dollars) in relation to the amount he earns as income; while his wife, Nancy Mareyil Santos Ríos ‒also detained‒, was found to have another 150 million lempiras (6.1 million dollars) that could not be accredited either.
The Avilez case, CESPAD said, "is of great concern because it shows the limited capacity and willingness to act of the entities in charge of investigating this type of crime, taking into account that the Public Prosecutor's Office itself recognizes that this situation has been known since March 2013, that is, for 8 years."
The investigation into the crime of money laundering is also being carried out against the candidate for deputy Mauro Antonio Romero Carías, from the Liberal Party, and his wife, Angélica Roxana Girón Hernández, who, in addition, at the time of their capture, had more than one million lempiras (41 thousand dollars) seized from them, the origin of which could not be proven.
Violence, violence and more violence
Political violence in Honduras has never gone away and has gained strength over time and with electoral contests. An example of this was the murder by dismemberment and subsequent burning of the body of the former nationalist councilor of the municipality of San Luis, Santa Bárbara, Fredy Geovanny Velásquez, at the end of September.
Added to this are the murders of the candidate for mayor in Santa Ana de Yusguare, Choluteca, Nery Fernando Reyes, for the Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), and that of the candidate for councilor of the municipality of Choloma, Cortés, Napoleón Muñoz, of the Patriotic Alliance.
These murders, CESPAD said, "raise the urgent need to strengthen the institutions in charge of investigating this type of crime in the context of the general elections, which are just around the corner, threatening the electoral process and voting day."
He also said that although there are other issues that make up the contextual framework of Honduras, "the concern about the institutional weakness in guaranteeing transparency in electoral financing is heightened."
Meanwhile, he said, "the threats, persecution and crimes against mayors, councillors and other political figures, in the absence of an investigation to clarify the origin of the violence, are taken for granted as a result of political action."
It is worth noting that in the general elections to be held on November 28, to which more than 5.1 million Hondurans are already called, three designated vice presidents will also be elected, as well as 298 municipal mayors, 128 deputies to the local Parliament and 20 to the Central American Parliament.
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