Peter Welch: “on September 3, 2025, I spoke about the upcoming November 30 general elections in Honduras for President, Members of…”

“on September 3, 2025, I spoke about the upcoming November 30 general elections in Honduras for President, Members of Congress, and Members of the Central American Parliament. Significant fraud has been a problem in many of Honduras' past elections, most notably prior to, and during, the 2013 and 2017 elections of former President Juan Orlando Hernando who today sits in a U.S. prison. So it is important that this election, like the election of Hernandez' successor in 2021, is widely accepted as free, fair, and transparent and that the results are honored in and outside of Honduras. At that time, I expressed concern about a report that on July 16, Counselor Ana Paola Hall had resigned from the National Electoral Council due to political pressure and threats against her and her family. I also expressed concern that the government of President Castro had reportedly failed to implement the system for transmitting election results, which is designed to ensure transparent and timely reporting. Since then, I have been informed that Ms. Paola did not resign and that Honduras's electoral authority--the National Electoral Council or CNE--is now implementing an updated system for transmitting election results. This is positive news, and it should reinforce public confidence in the CNE's commitment to the integrity of the elections.”