In Honduras, Trump administration does not care about optics

Jacobin conducted an interview with Dana Frank about Honduras in “The Election Is Being Stolen.” Given the questionable decisions taken prior to the vote and the chaos that has played out since election day, there's no way that we can have any confidence in the results of this election.

We need to support the call now emerging for an entirely new election, overseen by international bodies, without interference from the Honduran government or the United States. Meanwhile, we have to help the Honduran people as they express concern about any recount still controlled by the Honduran government.

Christine Wade also has some analysis in the World Politics Review with "Is a Resolution to Honduras’ Turbulent Elections Anywhere In Sight?"

If Nasralla ultimately wins, his biggest challenge will be addressing the endemic, institutionalized corruption and impunity that have long benefited government and business elites. This won’t be easy. He will face a divided Congress where Hernandez’s National Party is expected to hold nearly half of the seats. His coalition partner, LIBRE, will likely win about 24 percent of the seats.

The costs of losing are high. A Hernandez victory means more of the same: corruption, impunity, repression and growing inequality. The controversy surrounding the elections would further undermine his legitimacy if he were re-elected, potentially escalating tensions. The opposition has successfully mobilized a new generation of activists who won’t take losing via electoral fraud lightly.

It's unbelievable that the United States certified that the Honduran government has been proactive in the fight against corruption and in supporting human rights in the midst of this electoral controversy. There were strong arguments to be made that the Honduran government had not been making sufficient progress prior to the contested election. However, certifying that the Honduran government is fighting corruption and promoting human rights in the midst of these electoral shenanigans and the presence of so many police in the streets pitted against largely nonviolent protesters sure looks like a tacit endorsement of the incumbent party.

In some ways, one could argue that the Trump administration does not care about optics. It was satisfied with the progress that the Honduran government had demonstrated and that US interests were best served by certification. It was not going to wait until the final electoral results were tallied before delivering its approval. On the other hand, it is quite possible that the Trump administration's certification of Honduras's commitment to tackling corruption and advancing human rights in the midst of these electoral irregularities was a not so subtle message of support for President Hernandez.