Libre accepts questionable and partial National Party victory in Honduras

On Tuesday, Honduras' Supreme Court rejected Libre's legal challenges of the November 24th vote that saw the people of Honduras turn out and elect Juan Orlando Hernandez of the National Party president with 37 percent. The Court dismissed the opposition's motion to challenge the results without comment.

"We won't deny the victory of Juan Orlando, but we will categorize it as a questionable victory and a partial victory," Zelaya told Efe Tuesday after learning of the Supreme Court decision.

Libre, Zelaya said by telephone from his home province of Olancho, will conduct "a constructive opposition inside Congress," where the party will hold 37 seats, behind the National Party's 48.

Hernandez will assume the presidency of a country with the highest murder rate in the world (~85 per 100k if the government actually shared data) and on the verge of bankruptcy. And what do you know, the US recently issued another travel warning for its citizens traveling to Honduras.

The vast majority of serious crimes in Honduras, including those against U.S. citizens, are never solved; of the 50 murders committed against U.S. citizens since 2008, police have only solved two. Members of the Honduran National Police are known to engage in criminal activity, including murder and car theft. The Government of Honduras lacks sufficient resources to properly investigate and prosecute cases, and police often lack vehicles or fuel to respond to calls for assistance. In practice, this means police may take hours to arrive at the scene of a violent crime, or may not respond at all. As a result, criminals operate with a high degree of impunity throughout Honduras. The Honduran government is in the early stages of substantial reforms to its criminal justice institutions.

Transnational criminal organizations also conduct narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout the country, using violence to control drug trafficking routes and carry out criminal activity. Other criminals, acting both individually and in gangs in Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula, and other large cities, commit crimes such as murder, kidnapping, extortion, carjacking, armed robbery, rape, and other aggravated assaults.

Kidnappings and disappearances are an ongoing concern throughout the country as well. Kidnapping affects both the local and expatriate communities, with victims sometimes paying large ransoms for the prospect of release. Kidnapping is believed to be underreported. Since January 1, 2012, four cases of kidnapped U.S. citizens were reported to the U.S. Embassy. The kidnapping victims were all subsequently released.

A US businesswoman and owner of a luxury spa on the beautiful Bay Island of Roatan was found dead a few days ago. However, the murder appears to be a case of domestic abuse as her Honduran husband was arrested in connection with her stabbing.