Supporters at Honduran leftist presidential candidate Rixi Moncada's electoral campaign at Chochi Sosa Stadium in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Photo: Facebook/Rixi Presidenta.
The Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the open US interference in the Honduran electoral process, after US President Donald Trump publicly expressed his support for candidate Nasry “Tito” Asfura, the current mayor of Tegucigalpa and presidential hopeful in the November 30 elections.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova noted in her press conference on Thursday, November 27, that Trump’s statements on Truth Social constitute “a direct recommendation for the population of an independent country on how to vote,” which represents “a serious interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state.”
According to the Russian diplomat, the US president’s words come amid an already tense climate due to the presence of the US Navy in the Caribbean Sea, which Moscow interprets as a mechanism of geopolitical pressure on countries outside Washington’s control.
According to Zakharova, this combination of military pressure and public political support reveals Washington’s intention to “steer the outcome” of the Honduran elections in favor of US strategic interests.
Trump accompanied his support for Asfura with a message about fighting “narco-communists,” a term that, according to international analysts, serves as an ideological label to delegitimize any political actor not aligned with the United States’ hemispheric policy.
Honduran Candidate Rixi Moncada Accuses Electoral System of Being Hacked to Alter Election Results
Zakharova noted that Russia hopes that the people of Honduras “will make their own conscious and truly democratic choice, not one imposed from the outside,” referring to the historical US interference in Central American political processes.
The November 30 elections will determine the new president, three vice presidents, the 128 members of the National Congress, and the authorities of the 298 municipalities of Honduras, in a process in which 6.5 million people are eligible to vote.
Moscow’s accusation adds to the growing international scrutiny of the United States’ role in Honduras, a country where US influence has been decisive in coups d’état, internal security operations, support for traditional elites, and the shaping of economic projects aligned with multinational corporate interests.
The controversy over Trump’s endorsement also comes against a backdrop of leaked audio recordings revealing maneuvers by Honduran political elites to alter the outcome of election results.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
