Statement on the Current Events Taking Place in Honduras

Afro-Honduran organization sends an urgent message following the recent presidential elections in the Central American nation

By The Community Ethnic Development Organization (ODECO)
Special to Narco News

December 3, 2017

The Community Ethnic Development Organization (ODECO, for its Spanish abbreviation) exercising the right to free expression of thought guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Honduras, upon observing the development of the electoral process on November 26, in which over half of the population of the entire country came together decidedly, enthusiastically and patriotically to exercise their legitimate right to suffrage, showing a clear capacity for civic discernment and maturity, and thinking that they found themselves facing a true electoral celebration to elect the people in whom they had placed their trust and who would take on the public duties for which they were elected with honesty, wisdom, uprightness and commitment to the destinies of the Honduran people, worthy of better opportunities and yearning for a future where the rule of law is respected, where there is equality of opportunity for men and women regardless of social class, ethnic or religious origin, political party or other social conditions, that far from dividing the spirit of Hondurans, should form a part of the strengths that enrich all well-founded nations that respect God and the rule of law, we feel it is our institutional duty to communicate to the Honduran people, to the Garifuna and Indigenous and Afro-honduran communities in general, to human rights organizations, to financial and development agencies, the following:

That under the all-too-abused Constitution of the Republic, Honduras is established as a republic, free, democratic and independent to ensure that its inhabitants can enjoy justice, liberty and economic and social wellbeing; but under the current circumstances and over the course of the post-electoral events,

The flag of Honduras, from the ODECO website.

a climate of social and political instability has been created that eats away at the pillars of popular sovereignty expressed in the multiple protests rejecting the actions of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal that has maintained an unprofessional attitude and has not guaranteed the pure and perfect democracy desired by Hondurans who have been waiting eagerly since 7:00 p.m. on Sunday the 26th of November for the results of the presidential vote, which remains in the air even now, and who wait expectantly in the streets hoping that a final declaration will be made and respected as to who will be the leader who will preside over the destiny of the Honduran nation for the next four years.

We condemn the fact that, despite the use of information and communications technology in the electoral process, Hondurans inside and outside the country do not yet know the results, which contributes to the suspicion that we may be facing LARGE-SCALE ELECTORAL FRAUD.

We demand that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal make sufficient guarantees of transparency in the counting of votes, as well as promptness in making known the decision of the people as expressed at the ballot boxes through their votes, which is something that should be done without further delay, if indeed it is that we wish for democracy to continue to be the pathway to dialogue and the establishment of sustainable processes of national consensus, and as a mechanism to avoid mistrust in the authority of the Tribunal and other agencies charged with guaranteeing respect for the elections.

ODECO joins the collective call for transparency, the struggle against institutionalized corruption, and demands that the Tribunal’s posture demonstrates its commitment to Honduras, avoiding a deepening of the current polarization, and an end to the confrontations that stain the streets of our country with blood, due to the irresponsibility of some officials who have found their modus vivendi in government at the expense of the dignity and life of people impoverished by the lack of effective public policies that seek to reduce poverty, marginalization, exclusion and racism in any and all of its historic and current manifestations.

We call on the international community to pay attention and act in solidarity with the Honduran People, strengthening the mechanisms of oversight and social supervision in this stage of the process in order to strengthen democracy in Honduras.

We must warn the Honduran people to remain poised for a struggle to defend democracy, their fundamental rights, and the votes they placed in the ballot boxes, and to not allow the will of the few to come before the will of the sovereign Honduran people. We must defend the legacy of our Ancestors and the Forefathers of the Homeland. We must continue our struggle and our resistance for a better country where justice, peace and common welfare reign, where government is for the majority and where there is rule of law that offers and guarantees the safety of its citizens and its legal system.

We condemn the sacking and vandalism to which some private businesses and public entities have been subject throughout the country, because this does not contribute to peaceful protest.

We declare ourselves in permanent session to make known our position throughout the course of the events.

In memory of Lempira, Morazán, Walumugu and Celeo Alvarez Casildo, we carry on the fight.

ODECO CENTRAL DIRECTIVE COMMITTEE
WE SEEK VOICES TO END THE SILENCE…

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