Accusations mount against LIBRE for manipulating the electoral process while polls fall

A little over four months before the general elections on November 30, the Honduran ruling party faces growing public delegitimization. The Libertad y Refundación (LIBRE) party, which has led the government since 2022, has been the target of accusations by the political opposition, business organizations, and sectors of civil society, which denounce alleged maneuvers to alter the electoral process and cling to power amid a sharp drop in the polls.

Decline in voting intentions and loss of confidence

Recent surveys, like those performed by Pro Encuestas and TResearch, show a continuous drop in support for Rixi Moncada’s bid for the presidency. Initially the frontrunner, Moncada has now been surpassed by nationalist Tito Asfura and liberal Salvador Nasralla in the surveys, placing her in third position.

Analysts attribute this decline to a combination of factors: allegations of corruption in public administration, internal divisions within the ruling party, poor economic performance, and a growing public perception of opacity in government management. The erosion of popular support has coincided with a hardening of political rhetoric from the executive branch and signs of institutional tension that have set off alarm bells in various sectors.

Doubts regarding the election procedures and authority oversight

One of the main sources of controversy is the ruling party’s refusal to allow manual verification of votes, a common practice in previous elections that serves as a cross-checking mechanism for the digitization of results. The opposition and independent organizations warn that eliminating this review could facilitate irregularities and hinder citizen and international audits.

Additionally, there have been accounts of efforts meant to obstruct the implementation of the Preliminary Election Results Transmission System (TREP), which is crucial for ensuring transparency in the vote counting process. Tensions have escalated within the National Electoral Council (CNE), with council members like Cosette López and Ana Paola Hall reporting pressure and endeavors to impede their activities.

Business associations and members of the opposition view these actions as a component of an approach to solidify institutional command over the election process, restrict external supervision, and ensure the ruling party flexibility in case of an electoral loss.

Accusations of ideological alignments and a climate of confrontation

La realización de una sesión del Foro de São Paulo en Tegucigalpa, con la presencia de delegaciones de gobiernos de izquierda de la región, impulsó nuevamente la discusión sobre las alianzas internacionales del partido LIBRE. Voces críticas señalaron que estos vínculos con el eje Venezuela-Cuba-Nicaragua podrían estar dirigidos a emular modelos de gobernanza que favorecen la acumulación de poder y limitan las oportunidades para la participación democrática.

At the same time, opponents such as the former president of the Honduran Council of Private Enterprise (COHEP), Eduardo Facussé, have warned of the possible implementation of a “Venezuela Plan” aimed at generating institutional instability, induced protests, and administrative blockades that would hinder a transition of government.

Based on these claims, factions linked to the party in power have engaged in disruptive activities in essential venues like the National Congress and the CNE, a pattern that might undermine the electoral process’s credibility and heighten political division in the nation.

An unpredictable situation before a critical election

With an increasingly fragmented electoral landscape and a ruling party losing ground in public opinion, Honduras is heading toward elections marked by mistrust, institutional tension, and questioning of the rules of democracy.

Numerous groups from civil society, business communities, and political figures have emphasized the necessity for strong international oversight and systems to ensure the openness and integrity of the election process.

The current situation exposes not only the fragility of the democratic consensus in the country, but also the difficulty of channeling political competition within stable institutional margins, in a context of growing citizen disaffection and distrust of state institutions.