Honduran General Election Campaigns to Begin
Honduras’ electoral campaign period for presidential elections begins today.
Confirmed in primary elections earlier this year, candidates Nasry Asfura, Xiomara Castro, Yani Rosenthal and Salvador Nasralla will be running for president. The victor will succeed current President Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado, who has served since 2013. Ongoing allegations of corruption against Hernández and other members of his National Party bring heightened attention to Asfura, who hopes to keep the incumbent party in power.
International commentary on the elections has focused on ongoing human rights abuses in Honduras and the subsequent migration of asylum seekers from throughout the region into the United States. In 2021, one million migrants are expected to transverse Central America to the US-Mexico border in an effort to flee local violence.
In addition to facing pressure on migration issues, economic revival will be a priority for the incoming president as poverty levels are expected to reach 70% of the population this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Castro proposes shifting Honduras’ market towards a socialist model similar to Maduro’s Venezuela.
Despite these proceedings, Honduras’ history of electoral corruption may cast doubts about the fairness of the November 28 election.
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