HONDURAS VOTES

The fate of this wonderful nation hangs upon the decisions that will be made this weekend by the people of this country. Candidates from eight political parties are running in the election that will take place this Sunday morning.  However, the actual struggle appears likely to be between the conservative ruling party's candidate, Juan Orlando, of what they call the National Party and the left-wing candidate, Xiomara Castro of the "Libre" party (Freedom).  She is the wife of former President Mel Zelaya who was ousted from his office in 2009 and is widely blamed for the economic collapse of Honduras.  His name still carries a lot of power, but there are definitely more people who hate him than that admire him.  A third party (the Liberal Party) is also expected to make a lot of noise.  Their candidate is Mauricio Villeda.  You can't turn your head without seeing a poster of his face.  He apparently has a reputation of being an honest man. A huge amount of money has been spent during this campaign by all three of these parties which contrasts with the impoverished lifestyles of millions of Hondurans who can barely survive. 

 

The streets are flooded with posters of the Honduras presidential candidates hanging from every single possible post; from street lamps to electricity posts to trees… you name it.  We are counseled to stay completely politically neutral as missionaries and to avoid, whenever possible, political discussions.  For the most part we have done that. But, the election is in the forefront of the minds of every Honduranian.  The few conversations we have had have been divided.  Our dentists strongly feels one way; our security guard feels the other way.  We really don't know.

 

A political poll was taken a few months ago wherein the people were asked what are the most important issues facing them at this time.  The response was direct and overwhelming: security and unemployment.  A second question asked which they would prefer: a corrupt leader who would fix the problems, or an honest leader who would probably not be able to fix the problems.  The answer was nearly unanimous - give us someone who will fix the problems regardless of how they accomplish it!

For safety reasons, and as a precaution, all missionaries throughout all of Honduras have been ordered to stay inside of their apartments for the next three days.  All were told to gather enough purified water and food to last these three days and perhaps a little bit longer if necessary.  We are permitted to attend sacrament meeting this Sunday but then are to return immediately back to our apartments.  There is a great deal of uneasiness and anticipation.  Being "locked-up" in an apartment for three days is viewed by most of our missionaries as a prison sentence.  "What will we do?" "We'll go crazy!"  However, as a whole, these young men and women are incredibly obedient and will do as they have been asked to do.  It is important to know that we are not expecting any incidents of violence.  These efforts are precautionary only.  Actually, we are excited about this because we hope they will take the time to clean their apartments. The two of us are looking at these three days as a much needed vacation!

 

No effort to woo voters has been left undone.  The National Party has made a sudden, last second push of public projects in hopes of gaining favor.  A bridge that was ignored for years suddenly is fixed and painted, several streets now are adorned by walking and exercise paths.  Of course, all of these projects appear in the richest areas of San Pedro Sula.

We won't know for a couple of days who won this election.  And we probably won't know for several months what impact this election is going to have upon the wonderful people of Honduras.  But, small choices often bring about huge consequences.  This election will shape the future of Honduras. We are praying that the people will be guided to make wise decisions this Sunday.