EU declares Honduran elections clean

The European Union (EU) on Tuesday gave its seal of approval to Sunday's general elections in Honduras, despite an ongoing dispute between two leading candidates for presidency. Any irregularities that have been denounced did not have "an impact on the vote or on the vote-counting process at polling stations," Ulrike Lunacek, head of the EU observer mission to Honduras' general elections, told reporters here. With nearly 68 percent of the votes counted, the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) said late Monday that ruling conservative party candidate Juan Orlando Hernandez took lead with 34.08 percent, while left-leaning opposition candidate Xiomara Castro trailed in second place with 28.92 percent. The figures are "not the final result, but it's an irreversible trend," said TSE spokeswoman Lourdes Rosales. Lunacek said the data transmission system used at the polling stations was reliable despite "much controversy" before the election. "I know some parties are saying that the process was not correct," she said. "I want to call on everyone to present the irregularities they have seen or know about, along with their certificates, to the Electoral Court." She said the EU observers will stay in Honduras for another three weeks and are ready to receive all information of alleged irregularities. Meanwhile, the EU mission said the 90-day electoral campaign was very long and costly and lacked financial transparency, calling for efficient mechanisms for auditing and sanctioning political financing. On Sunday, Hondurans also voted for 298 mayors, 128 legislators and other officials.