Honduras Commissions Domestic, Foreign Officials to Observe General Election

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, Sept. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Honduras's Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) -- the highest authority on the country's electoral process -- announced that 100 U.S. Embassy officials will observe the Honduran general election on Nov. 26. These embassy officials, along with several domestic and international organizations, will help guarantee that the election is fair and free.

"We welcome the international community to come observe our election this November," said President Juan Orlando Hernández. "We are confident they will find our electoral process honest and open."

According to TSE Magistrate David Matamoros, over 10,000 Honduran and 250 foreign officials will observe the election, granting it the highest level of oversight in the nation's history.

On Aug. 17, the Organization of American States (OAS), a governmental forum for North, South, and Central American nations, became the first international entity to confirm that it would oversee Honduras's general elections. Other organizations that will monitor the November election include the Tikal Protocol, a group of electoral officials from Caribbean and Central American nations, and the European Union. The EU, which also observed Honduras's general election in 2013 and its primary elections on March 12, is sending an election delegation to Honduras from Oct. 9 through December. 

The TSE is also set to sign an agreement with Honduras's Institute for Access to Public Information (IAIP), and is hoping to obtain further oversight from the Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula Chambers of Commerce. This week, three additional organizations contacted the TSE to express interest in observing the election.

"My administration is taking every measure possible to ensure a legitimate, transparent voting process," said President Hernández. "We are confident that the will of the Honduran people will dictate this election."

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SOURCE Republic of Honduras