Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres Claims Elections are Threatened by Lies, Fraud, and Violence

Original article: Honduras: Vicecanciller Gerardo Torres denuncia que elecciones están amenazadas «por la mentira, el fraude y la violencia»

In a post on social media, Honduras’ Deputy Foreign Minister Gerardo Torres asserted that the electoral process in his country is threatened «by lies, fraud, and violence,» and rejected opposition calls for U.S. intervention.

«Those who trafficked tons of cocaine to the United States and created migrant caravans due to their poor policies now want to return to govern Honduras. They lack the votes to win this election, so they are shamelessly lying in hopes that the United States will help them win an election they have already lost. They are asking, without any shame, for the United States to meddle in our internal affairs,» Torres stated.

According to the Deputy Minister, the opposition seeks to «return to the past, to the National Party governments, whose main leader Juan Orlando Hernández is imprisoned in the United States for drug trafficking, and the Liberal Party, which has always been their accomplice and whose former president was also jailed for drug-related offenses.» He added that today this is «against the interests of President Trump’s government, which prioritizes immigration policy greatly.»

«Without crisis, migration decreases. Without drug traffickers in power, migration decreases. Without thieves and corrupt individuals in government, migration decreases. And migration significantly dropped under Xiomara Castro’s government, which also achieved a reduction in poverty and a decrease in the presence of drug trafficking in the country, thanks to joint actions with the United States,» the official explained.

In this sense, he stated that the numbers «are unquestionable, the United States knows them, and no lie can change that. Only those who want the return of the drug-trafficking regime and the violence that ruled Honduras during the worst decade of the century believe and support these lies.»

Finally, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Honduras warned that «there are attempts to commit fraud within the electoral body. Intercepted audios reveal their plan. It is not the central government that is conspiring against democracy, but those who want to return by force.»

«The only thing that should matter on November 30 are the votes. Not the trickery or the lies. And the international community should not allow cheaters to steal another election,» Torres concluded.

The Citizen / Cover Photo: Fernando Destephen