The Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Honduras (TSE) has called the election for Juan Orlando Hernandez. The OAS will be making a statement shortly, but its Secretary General Luis Almagro, has said that “serious questions” remain. The European Union, however, has apparently endorsed the TSE decision, but my quick reading says it’s not quite that simple. They say they will continue to examine what legal recourse might be taken. I would really like to see what documents exactly they examined in reaching their decision (see RNS below to understand the basic issue.)
A post from country expert RNS explains how vote results are processed. The tally sheets, not the original votes, are analyzed, noting that:
Now here's one place where what happens introduces the fear of manipulation: all the actas scanned at the ATX centers are supposed to be scanned a second time in Tegucigalpa when the physical package of electoral materials (maletas in Spanish) arrives. The OAS report noted that some of these arrived without security, already open. Pictures of a truck backing up to a hotel in Tegucigalpa that appeared to show such packages raised the concern about some actas possibly being scanned outside the INFOP facilities. In both situations, there is concern that a substitute acta could have been inserted in place of the one scanned on election day at the ATX center.
And meanwhile (from Wednesday, 12/13), an amazing performance by Heather Nauert of State, in which she doesn't know that the charge d'affairs in Honduras is a woman, nor anything else about what is going on:
MS NAUERT: I can tell you – well, first let me say I’m not aware of our charge’s schedule. So I don’t know and I can’t confirm if he had the --
QUESTION: She.
MS NAUERT: -- she, pardon me; thank you – if she had the meetings or showed up at certain places that you mention. It’s obviously a post-election situation there. We know that monitors have covered it. The election observers are still evaluating that situation. So I think until we know more about the results of all that, we’re just going to refrain from commenting on it.
There have been blockages of all major highways by protesters.
A map of road blockages
And, following over a dozen killings(I believe largely by state security forces),the mood is getting dark. More if I am able.