Democracy 'lost': Rights groups warn of more violence in Honduras as US recognizes president [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: ABC News


By KAELYN FORDE
CONOR FINNEGAN
 
Dec 22, 2017, 4:06 PM ET

The U.S. became one of a few countries to recognize Juan Orlando Hernandez as the president of Honduras Friday as the opposition candidate, international observers, members of Congress and human rights groups called for a new election amid reports of fraud. Thirty people have died in election-related violence since the Nov. 26 vote, in which both major candidates claimed victory, according to human rights groups.

The U.S. recognition comes after Honduras’ national electoral tribunal, known as the TSE, declared Hernandez the victor on Sunday, kicking off a five-day period during which the opposition can present evidence of fraud or irregularities that would nullify the result. The TSE's official results show Hernandez winning with 42.95 percent of the vote, compared to challenger Salvador Nasralla's 41.42 percent.

“We have not seen anything that alters the final result that the TSE has come out with,” a senior U.S. State Department official told reporters Wednesday, indicating initial U.S. support for Hernandez at the time.

. . .

However, the U.S. conceded that there were “irregularities identified by the OAS [Organization of American States] and the EU [European Union] election observation missions” and called for “robust national dialogue” and a “significant long-term effort to heal the political divide in the country and enact much-needed electoral reforms,” said State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.



Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/democracy-lost-rights-groups-warn-violence-honduras-us/story?id=51954034