Monday, December 23, 2024

Honduran elections a test of democracy in a failed state

Peter Schurmann. Ethnic Media Services

Yoritos, located about 200 km north of the capital. This small town made headlines two years ago because residents joined together with ito to expel a mining company that had tried to establish operations in the region. Photo: Peter Schurmann

TEGUCIGALPA - His face covered in rhymes, a teenager hides at the entrance to a building, staring beyond the yellow police tape that secures the area. Inside, a group of Honduran Indians are gathered after traveling to the capital to denounce what they say is "the government's continued theft of their ancestral lands." 

"I'm sorry about all this," the security guard says, taking in the scene around him: "this is Honduras."

In this context of extreme poverty and social violence, Hondurans will vote for their president on November 28. For many, the first elections offer the best opportunity, and perhaps the most