OAS may request new Honduras election to correct ‘irregularities’

TEGUCIGALPA, (Reuters) - The Organization of American States (OAS) said yesterday it may call for new Honduran elections if any “irregularities” undermine the credibility of results in last month’s disputed vote that has sparked a crisis in the Central American nation.

In a statement, the OAS also called for an immediate return of constitutional rights such as freedom of movement.

The Honduran government imposed a curfew last week when protests erupted over the vote count in the Nov. 26 presidential election, which has been tarnished by allegations of electoral fraud.

The statement, released by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, said the election result was not yet certain, and measures including a partial recount should be undertaken to clarify the outcome and restore credibility.

“It is clear that it is not possible, without an exhaustive and meticulous process of verification that determines the existence or not of an electoral fraud ... to restore the confidence of the population,” the statement said.

Official results showed Honduras’ conservative President Juan Orlando Hernandez with a narrow 1.6 percentage point lead over center-left opposition leader Salvador Nasralla. However, no victor has yet been declared by the election tribunal.

Nasralla last evening called for an international arbiter to oversee the recount, saying he no longer recognized the Honduran tribunal because of its role in the process.

“If we hadn’t had international participation, we would truly be in the law of the jungle,” he said.

David Matamoros, head of the country’s electoral tribunal, told reporters that the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship, which Nasralla fronts, must still deliver its voting tally sheets and documentation so the tribunal can review the election results.

Then the tribunal will discuss the OAS recommendations and what can be done to implement them, Matamoros added.