[Peace-discuss] 12 Dem Sens. press Kerry to push Honduras for free election

[Robert Naiman]

Durbin is missing...

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:* November 13, 2013
*CONTACT: *Amy Dudley, 202- <202-224-9688>224-9688, or Sarah Peck,
202-<202-224-9688>
228-1174

*IN LETTER TO SECRETARY KERRY, KAINE CALLS FOR FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS IN
HONDURAS*

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Foreign
Relations Committee, and a dozen fellow senators sent a letter today to
Secretary of State John Kerry calling for all possible efforts to ensure
free, fair and peaceful elections in Honduras.

“I’m very concerned by the ongoing violence in Honduras and the impact on
the November 24 elections,“ said Kaine, who served as a missionary in
Honduras in 1980. “We are receiving reports of threats against journalists
and even assassinations of candidates.”

Emphasizing that the United States has no preferred outcome other than
clean elections that win the confidence of the Honduran people, Kaine said,
“only a legitimate Honduran government can work to stem the systemic
violence, end criminal impunity, and create opportunities for Honduran
youth.”

The letter calls for: unrestricted access to electoral facilities by
Honduran and international observers; strict neutrality on the part of the
Honduran military; and compliance with an agreed code of conduct that
provides legal channels for resolving any electoral disputes.

Joining Kaine on the letter are Senators Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley, Barbara
Mikulski, Benjamin Cardin, Barbara Boxer, Jeanne Shaheen, Martin Heinrich,
Elizabeth Warren, Mark Udall, Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse and Chris
Murphy.

*Full text is below:*

November 13, 2013

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Kerry:

We write to express support for free and fair national and municipal
elections in Honduras on November 24, 2013.  The elections, which will be
monitored by numerous domestic and international observers, are important
for the future stability of Honduras and the region.  The State Department
and the U.S. Embassy in Honduras should make it clear that the United
States, along with the Organization of American States, have an interest in
promoting a free, fair and transparent electoral process.

           Hondurans prepare to go to the polls in a difficult and
dangerous climate.  The country suffers from elevated levels of crime and
the highest per capita murder rate in the world.  Fragile institutions and
a besieged judiciary have done little to punish the perpetrators of the
violence, encouraging a climate of impunity and undermining citizens’
confidence that their political, civil and human rights will be protected.
Moreover, Honduran journalists are regularly the targets of violence and
threats, and political candidates have been killed as a result of running
for office. These challenges raise serious concerns over the Honduran
government’s ability to conduct free and fair elections. The United States
must press the Government of Honduras to ensure the right of all its
citizens to peacefully assemble, campaign and vote.

            International and domestic election monitors – including some
who are receiving U.S. assistance -- must be as vigilant during the ongoing
campaign as they are the day of the vote.  Planned assistance from the U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) should support the integrity
and transparency of the process by giving domestic observers the training
and assistance they need to do their jobs effectively.  The United States
should urge Honduran officials, including representatives of the Honduran
Supreme Electoral Tribunal, to ensure equal opportunities for the various
political parties, including fair access to the media.

            On Election Day, monitors must have unrestricted access to
electoral facilities and officials, particularly at the voting precincts.
U.S. and international officials should encourage the leading candidates to
use appropriate legal channels for any disputes, consistent with the
signing of the August 23, 2013 “Commitment to Minimum Guarantees for
Electoral Ethics and Transparency in the 2013 General Elections.”   Now and
on Election Day, the United States must encourage the Honduran military to
communicate clearly its constitutional role in distributing ballots to the
precincts, and should  stress that it remain strictly neutral in the
political process.  The United States should verify the results based on
all available information, and encourage all candidates and the government
to work towards a seamless and peaceful political transition.

            A peaceful and fair election would promote Honduran confidence
in the electoral process and help reduce polarization within Honduran
society and bolster the stability needed to tackle the country’s critical
social, economic and security problems.  Free and peaceful elections could
serve as an important model of the democratic electoral process throughout
the hemisphere.   Finally, we urge the State Department to continue its
efforts to ensure free, fair and transparent elections and to keep us
apprised of any developments which may threaten the credibility of the
process or its results.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.


-- 
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
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